E 


m 


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//.  <r 


*  PRINCETON,  N.  J.  ^ 


Presented    by  *cl)\n  e^  0\^  -VV^  O  r". 


BV  2073  .W34  1911 

^^ 

Watson,  Charles  Roger, 

1873- 

1948. 

God's  plan  for  world 

redemDtion 

GOD'S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD 
REDEMPTION 


THE  PERRY  PICTURES.      1032. 


FROM  PAINTING  BY  SARGENT.      186  6- 
COPYRIGHT,  1  8  9  7  ,  BY  CURTIS  &  CAMERON. 


ISAIAH. 


V 


A 


NOV  8  1911 


^ 


%/CjSL  SEU# 


.\ 


God*s  Plan 

/or 

World  Redemption 

Jin  Outline  StuJ^  of  the 
^ihle  and  Missions 

B^  CHARLES  R.  WATSON 


ILLUSTRATED 


The  Board  of  Foreign  Missions 

of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  of  N.  A. 

Philadelphia,  Pa. 


COPYRIGHT,     191 1,    BY 
THB   BOARD   OF   FOREIGN    MISSIONS 

OF    THE 

UNITED    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH    OF 

NORTH    AMERICA 


To  the 

Men   and   Women 

whom  I  know 

WHO   HAVE    SEEN    THE   VISION 

of  a 

Finished  Task 

and  live  and  labor 

for  its  realization. 


PREFACE 

THE  need  for  a  handbook  whose  aim  would 
be  to  present  the  missionary  message  of 
the  Bible,  has  led  to  the  preparation  of 
this  book.  Its  central  theme  is  the  un- 
folding of  God's  Plan  for  World  Redemption. 
The  unfolding  of  this  redemptive  Plan  is  traced 
throughout  that  portion  of  human  history  whose 
record  and  whose  interpretation  are  alike  given 
in  the  Sacred  Narrative.  The  progressive  revela- 
tion of  a  body  of  truth,  and  the  advancing  devel- 
opment of  a  human  agent  or  agency  by  providen- 
tial dealings,  are  parallel  movements  in  the  un- 
folding of  the  divine  Plan.  The  effort  has  been 
made  to  recognize  the  place  and  influence  of  these 
two  correlated  movements. 

To  those  who  have  in  mind  the  many  and  ex- 
tended works  on  Messianic  Prophecy  the  present 
treatment  of  that  subject  will  seem  meagre  and 
superficial.  The  value  of  this  book  must  be 
found,  therefore,  in  the  clearness  of  its  survey 
and  in  the  greater  vividness  with  which,  by  the 
vn 


very  absence  of  detail,  it  is  able  to  portray  the 
movement  of  the  divine  Plan  as  it  sweeps  through 
the  centuries. 

It  is  only  in  its  method,  however,  that  the  book 
is  historical.  In  its  aim,  it  is  missionary.  If  God 
has  a  Plan,  the  least  man  may  do  is  to  link  his  life 
to  that  Plan.  If  God  has  a  Plan,  the  most  man 
may  do  is  to  let  his  life  move  parallel  with  that 
Plan.  The  last  two  chapters  in  the  book  are, 
therefore,  practical.  V/hile  the  book  presents  a 
continuous  narrative,  it  is  intended  that  the  stu- 
dent will  examine  carefully  the  Scripture  records 
upon  which  the  surveys  of  this  book  are  based. 
The  book  has  therefore  been  prepared  to  serve  as 
a  text  book  for  mission  study  along  the  lines  of 
the  mission  study  class  movement  of  our  day. 
The  immediate  use  of  this  text  book  in  United 
Presbyterian  circles  has  led  to  the  insertion,  in 
the  last  half  of  Chapter  Eight,  of  a  brief  section 
referring  to  the  missionary  responsibilities  of  this 
Church.  Apart  from  this  section,  the  treatment 
of  the  entire  theme  is  quite  general  in  character. 
The  American  Revised  Version  has  been  used 
wherever  Bible  quotations  occur. 

The  author  wishes  to  express  his  indebtedness 
to  Prof.  Gerhardus  Vos,  D.  D.,  whose  class-room 


vin 


lectures  first  suggested  this  theme  to  the  writer; 
also  to  Prof.  D.  A.  McClenahan,  D.  D.,  and  Prof. 
John  E.  Wishart,  D.  D.,  who  rendered  helpful 
service  in  reading  and  criticizing  certain  sections 
of  the  manuscript.  In  the  seventh  chapter,  some 
slight  use  was  made  of  material  previously  pre- 
sented in  a  booklet,  "Life  Plans." 

In  the  earnest  hope  that  these  chapters  may 
serve  to  interpret  to  the  individual  Christian  and 
to  the  Church,  the  missionary  purposes  of  our 
God,  and  help  to  raise  up  a  generation  which  will 
fulfil  these  purposes,  this  book  is  sent  forth. 


IX 


CONTENTS 

Chapteb.  Page. 

I.     The  Unfolding  of  God's  Plan    15 

II.     The  Period  of  Preparation   37 

III.  Later  Preparatory  Days    67 

IV.  Christ's  Place  in  God's  Plan   91 

V.     Wiorld  Evangelization  115 

VI.     The  Missionary  Movement 143 

VII.     The  Individual  and  God's  Plan  161 

VIII.     The  Church  and  God's  Plan  189 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

The  Prophet  Isaiah  Frontispiece 

Main  Periods  of  World  Redemption ....  facing  page  30 

Period  of  Preparation  (Before  Abraham)    ''  44 

Period  of  Preparation   (After  Abraham) "  45 

Schism  between  Judah  and  Israel "  78 

The  Prophet  Hosea   facing     "  79 

Preparation  and  Realization "  89 

The  Sea  of  Galilee  or  Lake  Tiberias fax^ing     "  95 

View  of  Jerusalem  facing. ."  129 

Average  Responsibility  fa^iing     "  181 

Model  Missionary  Church  "  202 

The  Church  Dollar   "  222 


CHAPTER  I 


The  Unfolding  of  God's  Plan 


"Strong  Son  of  God,  immortal  Love, 

Whom  we,  that  have  not  seen  Thy  face. 
By  faith,  and  faith  alone,  embrace. 
Believing  where  we  cannot  prove; 

"Thine  are  these  orbs  of  light  and  shade ; 
Thou  madest  Life  in  man  and  brute; 
Thou  madest  Death ;  and  lo,  Thy  foot 
Is  on  the  skull  which  Thou  hast  made. 

"Thou  wilt  not  leave  us  in  the  dust : 
Thou  madest  man,  he  knows  not  why. 
He  thinks  he  was  not  made  to  die ; 
And  Thou  hast  made  him :  Thou  art  just. 

"Our  little  systems  have  their  day. 

They  have  their  day  and  cease  to  be  : 

They  are  but  broken  lights  of  Thee, 

And  Thou,  O  Lord,  art  more  than  they. 

"We  have  but  faith :  we  cannot  know ; 
For  knowledge  is  of  things  we  see ; 
And  yet  we  trust  it  comes  from  Thee, 
A  beam  in  darkness:  let  it  grow. 

"Let  knowledge  grow  from  more  to  more, 
But  more  of  reverence  in  us  dwell ; 
That  mind  and  soul,  according  well, 
May  make  one  music  as  before, 

"But  vaster." 

— Alfred  Tennyson. 


THE  UNFOLDING  OF   GOD'S   MISSION- 
ARY PLAN 


H 


I  STORY!     What  an  interestinof  studv  it  An  interesting 

^  "  study. 

is,  this  long  narrative  of  human  events ! 


Take  the  last  century  and  a  half.  All 
of  our  national  life  is  to  be  found  within 
the  limits  of  that  brief  period.  How  much  these 
fifteen  decades  mean  to  the  United  States  alone ! 
If  we  go  back  four  hundred  years,  we  find 
America  just  being  discovered,  the  Reformation 
has  not  been  ushered  in  in  Germany  and  Europe, 
and  Spain  is  the  dominant  nation  of  Europe. 
But  let  us  go  back  one  thousand  years.  It  may 
help  us  to  realize  how  much  history  even  the  last 
thousand  years  record,  if  we  will  remember  that 
one  thousand  years  ago  the  Norman  Conquest 
of  England  had  not  yet  been  accomplished,  the 
Crusades  had  not  yet  been  called,  Moorish  civili- 
zation was  flourishing  in  Spain  and  the  Caliph's 
fleets  were  dominant  in  the  Mediterranean. 
What  a  world  of  events  since  that  time  ! 

The  measure  of  our  retrospect  may  be  length-  3°^,^^^^ 
ened.    We  go  back  two  thousand  years.    All  that 
we   call   "The   Christian   Era"   lies   within   this 

17 


i8       god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

period  of  history,  and  what  pages  and  volumes 
are  required  to  narrate  the  events  of  simply 
these  two  millenniums!  But  why  limit  thought 
to  the  Christian  era?  The  life  of  a  man  may  be 
threescore  years  and  ten,  but  in  the  life  of  the 
race  two  thousand  years  do  not  reach  back  to 
Humanity's  middle  life.  Go  back  a  thousand 
years  before  Christ.  In  distant  China,  the  Chow 
Dynasty  is  guiding  affairs  of  state.  In  India, 
the  Aryan  invader  has  already  been  in  India  a 
thousand  years.  In  Egypt,  the  New  Empire 
has  been  established;  it  is  called  New,  because 
the  term  Old  must  be  reserved  for  an  Empire 
that  began  eleven  hundred  years  before.  In  Pal- 
estine, David  is  King  of  Israel,  while  Assyria  is 
the  most  formidable  nation  of  Western  Asia. 
Of  course,  Greek  history  has  not  yet  begun. 

Nor  need  we  fear  that  we  are  yet  in  any  dan- 
ger of  running  into  the  beginning  of  things,  for, 
if  we  wish  to  go  still  further  back,  Chinese  his- 
toric legends  and  existing  monuments  in  Egypt 
will  volunteer  their  services  as  guides  through 
the  labyrinths  of  still  earlier  millenniums,  while 
Sargon  I.  of  Babylonia  is  said  to  have  ruled 
.    about  4000  B.  C. 

o?\hfngs°^°^  ■'^^^^  ^^^  ^^  ^^^^^  ^^^^  five  or  six  millenniums 
of  authentic  history.  What  a  world  of  events! 
What  a  study!  this  history  of  the  human  race, 
this  succession  of  generations  which  spell  out 


UNFOLDING   OF  GOD  S   MISSIONARY   PLAN.       I9 

national  histories  and  whole  civilizations !  And 
what  does  it  all  mean?  Is  history  just  a  record 
of  a  long  series  of  accidents?  Are  all  these 
events  just  happenings  subject  to  mere  Chance, 
or  resultings  subject  to  certain  Law?  Or  is 
there  some  great  Guiding  Hand,  some  Ruling 
Power,  restraining,  guiding,  shaping  history,  so 
that  we  can  say, 

"Yet  I  doubt  not  through  the  ages  one  increasing  pur- 
pose runs"  ? 

Or  is  the  movement  of  Humanity  just  ' 

"Forward,   backward,   backward,    forward,    in   the   im- 
measurable sea, 
Swayed  by  vaster  ebbs  and  flows  than  can  be  known 
to  you  or  me"? 

Many  books  of  history  have  been  written.  Books  of  ms- 
Some  are  satisfied  with  recording  events,  without 
explaining  their  meaning.  Some  look  at  the 
great  tangle  of  human  events  and  say  they  have 
no  meaning,  or  only  some  accidental  meaning. 
Some  have  endeavored — and  this  is  a  popular 
effort  in  our  day — to  explain  all  movements  from 
the  point  of  view  of  economics.  Among  other 
books,  we  find  one,  different  from  the  rest  in 
many  ways.  It  is  written  by  a  number  of  differ- 
ent persons,  but  all  seem  to  have  the  same  view- 
point. It  is  a  good  sized  book,  and  deals  with  a 
good  bit  of  human  history.     It  begins  with  this 


20  GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 

original  sentiment  or  explanation,  "In  the  begin- 
ning God."  Farther  on  in  the  book  we  find  this 
statement,  "All  things  have  been  created  through 
Him  and  unto  Him;  and  He  is  before  all  things 
and  in  Him  all  things  consist  (i.  e.,  hold  to- 
gether)." The  answer  which  this  book  gives  to 
the  age-long  problem  of  the  interpretation  of 
history,  is  to  be  studied  and  unfolded  in  this 
volume. 
Tracing  God's  But  it  is  One  thing  to  Say  that  through  the  mil- 
lenniums of  history  God  has  been  "at  the  helm  of 
nations,"  and  it  is  quite  another  to  be  able  to 
trace  His  guidance.  Does  the  Book  do  that  for 
us,  for  all  of  human  history?  No,  it  does  not. 
Indeed  it  is  a  question  whether  if  it  did  under- 
take this  great  task,  there  would  be  any  who 
would  be  able  to  follow  its  explanations.  Some 
day,  doubtless,  the  mysteries  of  God's  methods 
and  purposes  as  moral  Ruler  of  the  Universe  will 
be  revealed.  Then  we  shall  understand  the  far 
stretching  millenniums  of  Chinese  history,  the 
civilizations  of  Assyria  and  Egypt,  the  rise  and 
fall  of  kingdoms  in  Asia  and  Europe,  the  un- 
known millenniums  of  Africa's  waiting.  These 
all,  together  with  all  else  that  now  baffles  human 
explanation,  will  be  spread  like  an  open  scroll 
before  the  wondering  gaze  of  immortal  man,  and 
he  may  then  read  "the  purpose  of  Him  who 
worketh  all  things  after  the  counsel  of  His  will" 


UNFOLDING  OF  GOD'S  MISSIONARY   PLAN.      21 

and  it  will  be  *'to  the  praise  of  His  glory."  For 
that  full  explanation  of  the  mystery  of  human 
history  we  must  wait  until  the  day  of  the  con- 
summation of  the  ages,  when 

.     .    .     "The  sun  grows  cold 

And  the  stars  are  old 

And  the  leaves  of  the  Judgment  Book  unfold." 

What  then  does  the  Book  do  for  us?  Does  it 
simply  assert  that  God  is  the  God  of  history  and 
let  it  go  at  that?  That  would  be  suggestive  but 
it  would  be  poor  anchorage  for  faith  and  hope. 
The  Book  does  more  than  that. 

Not  long  ago,  the  civilized  world  was  filled  Haiiey' 

.  ,  ,      .  '         .  ,  Comet. 

with  curiosity  and  interest  over  the  announce- 
ment of  the  expected  appearance  of  that  heavenly 
visitor  which  is  seen  but  once  in  seventy-five 
years,  Halley's  Comet.  The  date  of  its  appear- 
ance was  fixed  for  a  certain  time,  and  at  the  time 
announced  or  close  upon  it  the  comet  appeared. 
Had  the  astronomer  followed  it  by  sight  in  all  its 
wanderings  into  space  that  he  should  have  been 
able  to  announce  so  definitely  its  return?  Not 
at  all.  He  simply  had  the  few  observations  of  the 
former  appearance  of  the  comet.  Knowing  its 
course  within  a  given  period,  he  knew  that  ac- 
cording to  the  faithfulness  of  the  laws  established 
by  a  faithful  God,  this  wanderer  in  the  heavens 
would  fulfil  an  appointed  course  and  return  at 


22  god's  plan  for  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 


What  the  Book 
Does. 


Sin   Creates 
Need. 


an  appointed  time.  It  was  not  necessary  to  actu- 
ally see  the  comet  throughout  its  whole  course; 
it  was  only  necessary  to  see  it  during  part  of  its 
course. 

So  with  the  Book.  It  lifts  the  veil,  it  reveals 
God  in  the  history  of  the  world  at  a  few  limited 
points  in  the  course  of  human  history.  It  reveals 
God  continuously  in  the  life  of  a  single  nation 
throughout  several  centuries.  Then  come  a  few 
generalizations  concerning  God  and  His  plan, 
some  prophecies,  and  the  Book  closes.  We  may 
read  other  histories,  the  records  of  other  nations 
and  try  for  ourselves  to  see  God  in  these  his- 
tories. We  may  partially  succeed ;  we  may  think 
we  see  Him ;  we  may  imagine  we  understand  His 
workings.  But  whether  we  succeed  or  fail, 
whether  we  understand  or  cannot  comprehend 
it  at  all,  the  fact  remains:  God  is  there.  The 
Book  tells  us  so.  And  furthermore,  the  Book 
reveals  God  and  His  Plan  within  the  limits 
already  described.  This  revelation  of  God's 
Plan  which  we  find  in  the  Book  is  to  be  the  object 
of  our  study. 

But  back  of  God's  Plan  is  God's  Purpose.  And 
back  of  God's  Purpose  is  God.  And  God  is  Love. 
What  will  Love  purpose  and  plan  and  do? 
Whatever  is  necessary.  And  what  is  necessary? 
Here  we  face  the  great  fact  with  which,  after 
Creation,  the  Book  begins.    It  is  the  fact  of  Sin. 


UNFOLDING  OF  GOD's   MISSIONARY    PLAN.      23 

The  Story  of  how  Sin  entered  is  told  in  the  third 
chapter  of  Genesis.  The  fact  of  Sin  is  central  to 
human  history.  We  must  lay  hold  of  that  fact 
firmly.  If  man  had  not  sinned,  God  might  have 
manifested  His  love  in  other  ways,  but  there 
would  surely  have  been  no  need  for  the  Old  Tes- 
tament sacrifices  nor  for  the  New  Testament 
Sacrifice.  The  need  of  man  determined  the 
form  that  love  must  take.  Man's  need  was  for 
deliverance  from  sin.  So  Love  took  up  the 
task  of  delivering  man  from  sin.  The  Purpose  of 
God  became  a  Redemptive  Purpose,  a  Missionary 
Purpose.  And  the  Plan  became  a  Redemptive 
Plan,  a  Missionary  Plan.  That  Purpose  and  that 
Plan  run  through  the  ages.  We  must  trace  them 
as  far  as  we  may. 

Practical  Value  of  Knowing  God's  Plan 

It  is  well  to  ask  here.  What  is  the  practical  The  use  of  it 
value  of  knowing  God's  Plan  ?  It  is  not  going  to 
be  altogether  easy  to  study  the  character,  the 
methods,  the  underlying  principles  and  the  out- 
workings  of  God's  Plan  as  it  sweeps  through  the 
centuries.  We  experience  difficulty  in  following 
the  thought  of  men  as  they  unfold  to  us  their 
plans ;  how  then  can  we  expect  to  follow  and  ap- 
prehend the  thought  of  God  without  application 
and  the  fullest  concentration  of  the  powers  of 


24 


GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 


Knowing   God 
Better. 


Understanding 
History. 


both  mind  and  spirit?    If  such  effort  is  required, 
what  is  to  be  the  practical  value  of  this  study? 
I.     First  of  all,  there  will  come  a  clearness  of 
vision  in  our  apprehension  of  truth. 

(a)  To  understand  what  God  is  doing,  to 
study  the  methods  which  He  uses  and  the  prin- 
ciples which  He  follows,  is  to  come  to  know  God 
better.  God's  character  is  best  revealed  in  the 
great  redemptive  work  in  which  He  is  engaged. 
Imagine  the  son  of  some  great  statesman,  like 
Gladstone,  only  knowing  his  father  in  the  fel- 
lowships of  the  home  and  unaware  of  the  fact 
that  his  father  had  broader  interests  than  in  min- 
istering to  that  son  within  that  home.  The  son 
would  not  be  truly  acquainted  with  his  father. 
Only  by  going  out  into  the  great  world  of  his 
father's  public  and  national  and  world-v/ide  in- 
terests, would  the  son  know  his  father  and  dis- 
cover his  greatness  of  purpose,  his  nobility  of 
character,  his  gifts  and  powers.  To  know  God 
we  must  have  fellowship  with  Him  in  His  great 
Work. 

(b)  To  study  God's  Plan  is  to  understand  bet- 
ter human  history.  It  is  to  find  "the  key,  the 
master-key  to  history."  He  who  has  caught  a 
clear  vision  of  God's  Plan,  does  not  "regard  his- 
tory as  following  the  course  of  the  sun,  going 
from  East  to  West.  Nor,  like  Herder,  does  he 
count  history  to  be  the  manifestation  of  the  pow- 


UNFOLDING   OF  GOD  S   MISSION ARV  PLAN.       2$ 

ers  of  nature  in  moral  progress.  Nor  is  he  like 
Comte,  who  finds  the  law  of  history  in  the  evolu- 
tion of  the  intellect."  To  him  a  nobler  and  more 
satisfying  explanation  is  at  hand.  When  others 
utter  their  despairing  cry, 

"Truth  forever  on  the  scaffold,  Wrong  forever  on  the 
throne/' 

he  can  say  with  quiet  confidence, 

"Yet  that  scaffold  sways  the  future,  and  behind  the  dim 
unknown 
Standeth  God  within  the  shadow,  keeping  watch  above 
His  own." 

(c)  To  study  God's  Plan  is  to  get  a  better  un-  S'e^^:^?^^''^''^ 
derstanding  of  the  Bible  itself.     It  is  impossible 

to  understand  the  Word  of  God  without  appre- 
hending the  Plan  of  God.  We  study  the  Book  to 
discover  the  Plan,  but  having  discovered  the 
Plan  we  may  go  back  and  read  the  Book  once 
again  and  new  meaning  and  new  glory  will  flash 
from  its  pages. 

(d)  To  know  God's  Plan  is  to  better  under- 
stand the  Church  of  Christ.  The  Church  has  an 
important  place  in  that  Plan.  Apart  from  it,  the 
Church  has  no  significance  or  meaning,  no  raison 
d'etre. 

2.     In  the  second   place,  the  great  value  of  IflU  *^  ^""^ 
studying  God's  Redemptive  Plan  will  be  to  our 


26       god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

own  lives.  Every  willing  life  may  have  a  place 
in  that  plan.  Is  there  any  more  inspiring  thought 
than  this,  that  God  should  link  a  human  life  to 
His  majestic  power  and  purposes?  Is  there  any 
more  promising  investment  of  life  than  in  the 
work  which  God  Himself  is  forwarding?  Is 
there  any  safer  principle  to  follow  in  a  life  de- 
cision, than  to  lay  the  life  parallel  with  the  will 
and  plan  of  God  ?  Here  is  a  study  of  most  prac- 
tix:al  value  and  its  issues  are  guidance,  peace, 
power  and  glory. 
Helping  God.  3.  Finally,  to  study  God's  Redemptive  Plan 
is  to  make  it  possible  for  us  to  help  God  in  hast- 
ening the  consummation  of  His  Plan.  What  a 
wonderful  honor  this,  to  be  men  on  whom  God 
can  rely,  to  stand  steady  and  true  to  His  pur- 
poses and  plans  when  others  draw  back  in  ignor- 
ance or  in  fear !  By  the  faithfulness  of  men  and 
women  who  know  His  plans,  God  has  again  and 
again  either  brought  about  great  forward  move- 
ments or  saved  the  world  from  worse  evils  than 
did  occur.  So  Moses  ^  in  Egypt  and  again  at  the 
Red  Sea;'  so  Caleb  at  Kadesh-Barnea '  and 
Gideon  with  his  hundred  men ;  *  so  Deborah,  the 
prophetess,'  and  David,  the  shepherd  boy.' 


lEx.   6:  9.  *  Judges  7:  19-21. 

2  Ex.  14:  13.  "Judges  4:  4-7. 

«  Num.  13  :  30.  "1  Sam.   17  :   32-37. 


27 

"The  ages  are  but  baubles  hung  upon 
The  thread  of  some  strong  lives — and  one  slight  wrist 
May  lift  a  century  above  the  dust/' 

Important  Observations 

In  endeavoring  to  discover  and  understand 
God's  Plan,  several  important  points  need  to  be 
observed : 

1.  A  clear  distinction  must  be  drawn  between  An  important 
God's  Plan  and  man's  apprehension  of  that  Plan.  ^^^^^^^tion. 
To  confuse  these  two  things  would  be  to  measure 

God  by  man's  conception  of  Him.  Indeed,  Paul 
frankly  recognizes  that  the  wonderful  Plan  of 
God  was  a  mystery  to  the  Old  Testament  saints. 
The  Plan  existed,  the  purpose  was  there,  but 
men  could  not  apprehend  it.  So  Paul  describes  it 
as  a  part  of  his  glorious  commission  "to  make  all 
men  see  what  is  the  dispensation  of  the  mystery 
mhich  for  ages  hath  been  hid  in  God."  ^  Of  his 
own  advantage  of  knowledge,  he  writes  very  em- 
phatically: "Ye  can  perceive  my  understanding 
in  the  mystery  of  Christ ;  which  in  other  genera- 
tions was  not  made  known  unto  the  sons  of  men, 
as  it  hath  now  been  revealed  unto  his  holy  apos- 
tles and  prophets  in  the  Spirit." '  A  further 
distinction  follows  from  that  just  stated. 

2.  It    is    necessary    to    distinguish    between  Another  dis- 
God's  Plan  and  man's  obedience  to  that  Plan. 


'Eph.  3:  ©.  »Bph.  3:  4-6. 


28        god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

God's  Plan  for  World  Redemption  is  perfect. 
But  it  has  no  more  been  realized  and  fulfilled 
by  man  than  has  God's  law  of  holiness.  The 
Ten  Comm.andments  were  broken,  are  being 
broken.  So,  too,  the  Plan  for  World  Redemp- 
tion has  been  held  back  from  execution,  post- 
poned in  its  fulfilment,  by  man's  refusals  to  its 
call  and  disobedience  to  its  commissions.  The 
distinction  then  is  an  important  one.  There  are 
many  pages  of  human  history  which  some  men 
have  tried  to  justify  as  good,  when  they  ought 
to  be  condemned  as  evil.  There  are  periods, — 
years,  decades  and  even  centuries, — in  which 
men  disobeyed  God,  refused  to  do  His  will  and 
contravened  His  gracious  purposes.  Where 
there  is  such  disobedience,  it  is  to  be  condemned, 
as  in  the  Scripture,"  and  not  justified.  Because 
of  this  distinction  between  God's  own  Plan  and 
man's  disobedience  or  disloyalty  to  it,  there  fol- 
lows another  consideration. 
The  Plan  in  o      Xhe  Plan  must  be  sou2:ht  for  in  the  reve- 

the   Book.  ^  °.  . 

lation  of  Scripture  and  not  in  human  history. 
The  Plan  is  to  be  found  in  the  Book.  God's  Will 
is  revealed  in  His  Word.  We  learn  there  what 
God  wishes  to  accomplish  and  what  He  wishes 
to  have  accomplished.  To  go  to  human  history 
trying  to  discover  from  human  events  alone 
what  is  God's  Plan,  is  as  foolish  as  to  go  to  a 

»Ps.   106;  Luke  19:  41;  Acts  7:  51-53;  Heb.  4  :  6,  7. 


UNFOLDING  OF  GODS   MISSIONARY   PLAN.      29 

human  life  trying  to  discover  from  it  God's  per- 
fect law  of  holiness.  In  history,  as  in  the  indi- 
vidual human  life,  there  are  disobedience  and 
failure  and  woful  shortcomings.  Not  from  the 
wanderings  of  the  Prodigal  Son  in  "the  far  coun- 
try" do  we  get  the  clearest  revelation  of  what 
were  the  wish  and  will  of  the  father  for  his  boy, 
but  in  the  revelation  which  the  father  himself 
gives  of  his  character  and  will.  Not  from  the 
base  failure  of  Israel's  faith  at  Kadesh-Barnea, 
do  we  discover  the  highest  thought  of  Jehovah 
for  His  people,  but  in  the  courageous  words  of 
Caleb  who  lived  near  to  God.  When  we  take  up 
a  copy  of  some  Universal  History,  we  do  not 
hold  in  our  hand  an  illustrated  edition  of  the 
highest  thought  of  God  for  the  human  race.  In 
all  human  history  there  is  a  marring  of  the 
beauty  of  God's  highest  thought  and  plan  through 
human  disobedience.  God  is  there  still,  restrain- 
ing, pleading,  striving,  over-ruling,  but  the  vision 
of  the  perfect  Plan  is  to  be  found,  not  in  the 
record  of  human  events,  but  in  the  Inspired 
Word,  revealing  in  a  direct  and  unsullied  fashion 
the  character,  the  will  and  the  plan  of  God.  To 
the  Book,  then,  must  we  go  to  discover  the  Plan. 

4.     In  the  unfolding  of  God's  great  Plan  for  If^^J^g  *^'' 
world  redemption,  there  will  be  stages.    This  is 
to  be  expected.     It  is  so  in  every  great  work. 
In  building  a  house,  the  ground  must  be  cleared 


30       god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

away,  then  the  trenches  are  dug  for  the  founda- 
tions, then  the  foundations  are  laid,  then  the 
walls  are  built,  finally  the  roof  is  added.  Meth- 
ods of  work  will  differ  according  to  the  stage 
with  which  we  are  dealing,  but  the  purpose  is 
one  and  the  plan  is  one. 
Three  Great  In  God's  sfreat  Plan  for  the  redemption  of  hu- 

Periods.  °  .  .     ^ 

manity,  three  distinct  stages  or  periods  have  been 
pointed  out : " 

The  Period  of  Preparation 
The  Period  of  Realisation 
The  Period  of  Application 

Preparation.  The  Period  of  Preparation  extends  from  the 

Fall  of  Man  to  the  Birth  of  Christ.  This  is  the 
period  in  which  the  world  was  being  prepared 
for  the  coming  of  Him  Who  should,  by  His  own 
person  and  work,  lay  the  foundation  for  the  sal- 
vation of  man.  The  entire  Old  Testament  story 
deals  with  this  period.  As  has  been  explained 
already,  the  manner  of  God's  dealings  with  all 
races  is  not  set  forth  in  detail  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, but  only  His  dealings  with  Israel.  We 
may  well  believe,  however,  that  the  whole  world 
was  being  prepared  for  the  coming  of  the  World 
Saviour. 

Realization.  j^g  Period  of  Realization  extends  from  the 

Birth  of  Christ  to  the  Day  of  Pentecost.     This 

"  Rev.  Gerhardus  Vos,  D.  D. 


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UNFOLDING  OF  GOD'S  MISSIONARY  PLAN.      3I 

is  the  period  in  which  the  salvation  was  realized, 
the  life  lived,  the  sacrifice  consummated  and  the 
Spirit  given,  upon  which  rests  the  whole  scheme 
of  redemption.  To  this  period  relate  the  Gospel 
narratives  and  the  first  chapters  of  Acts. 

The  Period  of  Application  extends  from  the  Application. 
Day  of  Pentecost  to  the  present  time.  We  know 
not  how  much  longer  this  period  will  extend. 
The  obedience  of  the  Church  will  be  a  determin- 
ing factor  here.  This  is  the  period  in  which  the 
Salvation,  prepared  for  in  the  first  period,  re- 
alized in  the  second,  is  carried  to  all  the  world 
and  applied  to  human  life  and  its  needs.  This  is 
the  period  in  which  we  live,  and  it  possesses, 
therefore,  a  peculiar  interest  to  us.  The  New 
Testament,  from  the  early  chapters  of  the  Acts 
through  the  Epistle  of  Jude,  relates  chiefly  to  the 
activities  of  this  period. 

The  question  forces  itself  upon  us,  Are  there 
not  other  periods  and  stages  in  the  unfolding  of 
God's  great  Plan  ?  Undoubtedly  there  are,  there 
must  be.  We  may  include  them  all  under  the 
general  heading,  God's  Great  Next.  What  that 
period  will  involve,  whether  it  breaks  up  into 
subordinate  periods,  what  its  character  and  glory 
will  be,  are  matters  hinted  at  chiefly  in  the  Book 
of  Revelation,  and  also  in  many  other  isolated 
prophecies. 


32  GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 

po^^nt!^^'^  ^^*  5-  ^t  ^^  important  to  observe  that  in  the  un- 
folding of  God's  great  Plan,  not  only  are  the 
several  stages  of  great  importance,  but  the  order 
of  these  stages  is  extremely  important  too.  This 
is  so  in  all  spheres  of  life  and  work.  The  farmer 
must  not  only  plough  and  sow  and  reap,  but  he 
must  do  these  things  in  the  right  order.  The 
house  builder  cannot  build  his  walls  until  the 
foundations  are  laid.  In  individual  salvation, 
sanctification  is  not  possible  until  after  justifica- 
tion and  regeneration.  So  with  God's  great  Plan 
of  world  redemption,  the  order  of  the  several 
periods  is  important,  for  one  period  cannot  be 
ushered  in  and  will  not  be  ushered  in  until  the 
preceding  period  has  been  completed.  In  think- 
ing of  these  periods  and  of  their  completion,  we 
must  not  think  of  them  so  much  in  terms  of  Time 
as  in  terms  of  certain  conditions  to  be  fulfilled. 
The  Scriptures  frequently  intimate  that  with  God 
Time  has  no  existence.  "One  day  is  with  the 
Lord  as  a  thousand  years,  and  a  thousand  years 
as  one  day." "  Philosophy  teaches  the  same 
truth.  God's  decrees  and  plans  are  to  be  thought 
of,  then,  not  so  much  as  resting  on  blocks  of 
Time, — so  many  centuries  which  we  must  wait 
to  have  elapse, — as  on  the  fulfilment  of  certain 
conditions.  When  these  conditions  are  fulfilled, 
He  Who  waiteth  to  "see  of  the  travail  of  His 


II  Peter  3 :   8  ;    Cf.  Heb.   4 :   6-8. 


UNFOLDING   OF  GOD  S   MISSIONARY   PLAN.      33 

soul"  will  delay  not  one  moment  in  ushering  in 
His  next  dispensation.  Until  these  conditions 
are  fulfilled,  He  will  wait ;  not  without  continuing 
to  work  for  the  desired  end,  but  yet  He  will  wait. 
It  is  this  truth  that  gives  a  place  to  human  faith- 
fulness and  earnestness  and  obedience  in  the  un- 
folding of  God's  great  Plan."* 

6.  To  understand  God's  Plan  of  human  re- 
demption and  to  appreciate  the  unfolding  of  the 
Plan,  it  is  necessary  to  recognize  certain  ele- 
ments in  the  problem  which  God  undertook  to 
solve. 

(a)  First  of  all,  there  was  Sin.    That  was  a  The  Problem 

1  .         1  ,1  T  of  Sin. 

supreme  element  m  the  problem.  Its  nature, 
its  character,  its  extent,  the  damage  it  wrought, — 
all  these  facts  determined  the  need  for  a  certain 
kind  of  redemption.  It  is  not  necessary  to  en- 
large here  upon  the  character  of  sin,  for  its  real 
nature  will  be  revealed  as  God's  Plan  for  over- 
coming sin  is  unfolded  in  these  studies.  Two 
needs,  growing  out  of  Sin,  became  such  impor- 
tant elements  in  the  problem  of  human  redemp- 
tion that  they  call  for  special  mention. 

(b)  There  was  the  need  for  a  Revelation  of 
Truth.  Man,  even  in  his  original  state,  undoubt- 
edly needed  to  advance  in  his  knowledge  of  God. 
But  with  the  Fall,  so  perverted  did  his  nature  be- 
come that  the  need  for  a  divine  revelation  became 


"I  Peter  3:  8-13. 
3 


34 


GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 


The    Problem 
of  Free  Will. 


Each   Life 
Alone. 


doubly  great,  and  the  problem  of  imparting  to 
him  knowledge  became  tenfold  more  difficult. 
Yet  a  revelation  of  God  and  of  Truth  was  indis- 
pensable, if  man  was  to  be  saved. 

(c)  There  was  also  the  need  for  a  work  of 
Atonement  for  Sin.  Something  needed  to  be 
done  to  set  right  all  that  had  gone  wrong 
through  man's  sin.  How  much  that  is,  the  hu- 
man mind  cannot  fully  apprehend.  But  its  full 
measure  is  found  in  Christ's  work  and  sacrifice. 
What  needed  to  be  done,  was  done  by  Him. 

(d)  Another  element  in  the  problem  of  saving 
man  was  man's  free  will.  At  no  point  does  God's 
Plan  do  violence  to  man's  free  will.  And  this 
element  of  the  problem  is  always  found  to  be  one 
of  supreme  difficulty.  Where  God's  Plan  works 
alone  through  a  perfect  agency  or  agent,  how 
quickly  that  Plan  moves.  The  Period  of  Reali- 
zation is  one  in  which  Christ  works  alone,  and 
how  short  this  period  is — one  brief  life-time  of 
thirty-three  years!  In  the  Period  of  Preparation 
God  works  zmth  man  for  the  forwarding  of  the 
Plan.  How  slow  seem  the  movements  of  that 
period.  In  the  Period  of  Application,  God  again 
works  ziith  man.  How  slow  is  His  Agency,  the 
Church,  to  do  His  will. 

(e)  Another  element  in  the  problem  was  to 
deal,  through  all  the  ages,  with  each  life  so  that 
each  life  may  have  a  fair  chance.    Just  how  this 


UNFOLDING  OF  GOD  S   MISSIONARY   PLAN.      35 

is  accomplished  we  do  not  always  understand, 
but  the  Scriptures  teach  that  in  His  dealings  with 
whole  races  and  nations  and  in  His  far-off  un- 
folding movements,  God  deals  justly,  fairly  and 
graciously  also  with  every  individual  soul.'^  It 
cannot  then  be  said  of  God,  as  it  has  been  said  of 
Nature, 

"So  careful  of  the  type,  she  seems 
So  careless  of  the  single  life." 

(f)   Another  element  in  the  problem  was  the  Social  and Na- 

^    ^  tional  Life. 

reverse  of  the  foregoing,  to  deal  with  the  social, 
communal  or  national  life,  while  dealing  also  with 
individual  life.  The  individual  cannot  realize  his 
fullest  development  alone.  He  draws  his  view- 
point, his  assumption,  his  underlying  principles 
of  life  from  the  society  of  which  he  is  a  part.  If 
he  cut  himself  off  from  his  fellows,  his  develop- 
ment becomes  narrow  and  unbalanced.  God's 
Plan  involved  saving  communities  and  nations  as 
well  as  individuals,  and  this  constituted  a  difficult 
element  in  the  problem  of  world  redemption,  but 
one  which  must  be  recognized  if  we  would  under- 
stand the  oftentimes  slow  unfolding  of  that  Plan. 
Could  God  solve  these  problems?  How  the 
angels  themselves  must  have  looked  with  aston- 
ishment and  despair  at  the  awful  tragedy  of  Sin 


"  Rom.    1 :   18-20  ;   Ps.   145  :   8,  9  ;   Isa.   57  :   15  ;   Acts  10 : 
34,  35. 


36       god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

overwhelming  God's  noblest  creation,  Humanity ! 
With  what  holy  wonder  at  the  wisdom  and  love 
of  God,  they  must  follow  God's  majestic  work  of 
redemption!  It  is  ours  also  to  look  upon  this 
divine  Plan  for  World  Redemption. 


CHAPTER  II 


The  Period  of  Preparation 


*'0  Thou  to  Whom  a  thousand  years 
Are  but  a  day,  how  short  appears 
The  measure  of  a  century's  span. 
In  carrying  out  Tb}-  sovereign  plan ! 

"A  plan  eternal  in  its  scope, 
Immortal  in  its  radiant  hope, 
Dimly  to  Abram  first  revealed, 
Alone  in  old  Chaldea's  field. 

"The  glorious  theme  the  prophets  taught, 
Their  souls  aflame  with  God's  great  thought, 
Through  long,  slow  centuries  rolling  by 
With  leisure  of  eternity." 

— "American  Board  Centennial  Hymn," 
by  Frances  J.  Dyer. 

"The  key  to  understanding  all  God's  dark  dealings 
through  the  ages  is  simply  a  universal  love  going  cut  in 
redemptive  purpose." — W.  O.  Carver. 


II 

THE  PERIOD  OF  PREPARATION 


T 


HE  Bible  narrative  begins  with  the  story  a  Bright  Be- 
of  Creation.    It  is  a  story  which  sheds  a 


bright  and  saving  light  down  all  the 
dark  ages  which  form  a  part  of  human 
history,  for  the  Bible  story  of  Creation  reads, 
"God  created  man  in  His  own  image."  There 
stands  that  original  fact  of  human  life,  undeni- 
able, unchangeable,  full  of  hope.  To  be  sure  the 
story  of  the  Fall  follows  hard  upon  the  story  of 
Creation,  but  the  fact  remains,  that  man  was  cre- 
ated by  God  in  the  image  of  God.  There  is  hope 
in  that  thought,  there  is  comfort.  Put  alongside 
of  this  Bible  narrative  the  words  of  one  who 
tried  to  solve  the  riddle  of  life  without  God,  and 
the  radiant  light  of  the  Bible  narrative  will  ap- 
pear more  clearly.  *T  know  of  no  study,"  wrote 
Professor  Huxley,  "which  is  so  unutterably  sad- 
dening as  that  of  the  evolution  of  humanity  as  set 
forth  in  the  annals  of  history.  Out  of  the  dark- 
ness of  prehistoric  ages  man  emerges  with  the 
marks  of  his  lowly  origin  strong  upon  him.  He 
is  a  brute,  only  more  intelligent  than  the  other 
brutes;  a  blind  prey  to  impulses  which  as  often 

39 


40  GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 

as  not  lead  him  to  destruction ;  a  victim  to  endless 
illusions  which  make  his  mental  existence  a  ter- 
ror, and  fill  his  physical  life  with  barren  toil  and 
battle." 

ima^e^'^  It  is  a  significant  fact  that  in  the  very  Book  in 

which  evil  is  painted  in  its  blackest  colors  and  sin 
receives  its  greatest  condemnation,  the  origin  of 
the  human  race  is  set  forth  in  words  so  radiant 
with  hope,  "And  God  said,  Let  us  make  man  in 

our  image,  after  our  likeness And 

God  created  man  in  His  own  image,  in  the  image 
of  God  created  He  him." 

If  there  is  comfort  in  this  fact  of  creation  for 
any,  the  comfort  belongs  to  all.  For  it  was  not  a 
certain  select  race  that  God  created  in  His  own 
image.  It  was  man,  the  common  stock  from 
which  all  of  humanity  springs.  There  is  a  uni- 
versal relationship  established  here  by  creation 
between  man  and  God,  and  that  relationship  is  the 
inheritance  and  assurance  of  all  mankind. 

The  Fall.  Then  comes  the  story  of  the  Fall.    It  is  a  sim- 

ple story  of  disobedience,  of  wilful  disobedience. 
"There  are  two  places  in  the  Bible,"  says  Dr. 
Henry  Van  Dyke,  "where  the  entrance  of  evil 
and  the  fall  of  man  are  described — and  they  both 
teach  the  same  lesson.  Christ's  parable  of  the 
Prodigal  Son  ^  is  just  as  true,  just  as  significant, 
as  the  story  of  Adam's  lost  Paradise.       In  both 

1  Luke  15  :  11. 


THE  PERIOD  OF   PREPARATION.  4I 

Stories  the  entrance  of  the  evil  is  through  self- 
will — ^blind,  perverse,  ruinous,  but  free,  and  there- 
fore responsible.  In  both  stories  the  nature  of 
the  evil  is  rebellion,  self-injury,  separation  from 
God." 

The  results  of  the  Fall  are  summed  up  in  the 
Bible  narrative  in  the  words,  "Therefore  Jehovah 
God  sent  him  forth  from  the  Garden  of  Eden,  to 
till  the  ground  whence  he  was  taken." '  And 
man  went  out  from  the  presence  of  God.  So  sin 
spelled  separation  from  God,  and  shame,  and 
guilt,  and  fear,  and  punishment,  and  pain,  and  a 
disordered  nature.  And  it  meant  this  for  all  the 
race.  Would  man  ever  get  back  into  the  presence 
of  God?    It  seemed  hopeless,  impossible. 

Just  then  God  launched  His  Plan  for  World  J^JJ^^J, 
Redemption.  The  first  announcement  of  it  was 
not  made  to  man,  although  made  in  his  presence. 
It  was  made  to  that  Power  and  Personification  of 
Evil  which  seemed  at  that  moment  ready  to  glory 
in  the  thwarting  of  God's  purposes.  "And  Jeho- 
vah said  unto  the  serpent,  I  will  put  enmity  be- 
tween thee  and  the  woman,  and  between  thy  seed 
and  her  seed :  he  shall  bruise  thy  head,  and  thou 
shalt  bruise  his  heel." '  Thus  was  heralded  the 
coming,  far  down  the  centuries,  of  One  Who, 
"bruised  for  our  transgressions,"  became  the 
Emancipator  of  humanity  from  sin. 

«Gen.   3:   9-24. 
3  Gen.   3:  15. 


42  GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 

For  the  further  study  of  God's  dealings  with 
man  and  the  unfolding  of  His  Redemptive  Plan, 
it  will  be  found  convenient  to  divide  the  historical 
narrative  of  the  Scriptures  into  periods. 

I.     The   Period   Before   Abraham 

The  Race  as  a  During  this  period,  God's  method  is  portrayed 
as  dealing  with  the  race  as  a  whole.  It  is  not  im- 
plied that  at  any  time  God's  love  was  narrower 
than  the  whole  race,*  but,  as  will  be  seen,  there 
was  in  later  periods  a  selection,  that  the  purposes 
of  God  might  be  worked  out  through  the  few  for 
the  benefit  of  the  many.  We  are  so  familiar  with 
this  later  method  that  it  may  be  necessary  to  em- 
phasize the  apparently  universal  method  of  the 
first  period. 

"The  earlier  revelations  of  God,"  says  Fair- 
bairn,  "made  no  difference  between  one  person 
and  another,  or  even  between  one  stem  and  an- 
other. They  spoke  the  same  language  and  held 
out  the  same  invitations  to  all."  It  is  interesting 
to  find  that  the  comparative  study  of  religions 
helps  to  corroborate  the  view  that  all  of  humanity 
shared  in  certain  primal  revelations.  Where  races 
have  been  cut  off  from  the  later  streams  of  divine 
revelation,  study  shows  that  the  early  periods  of 


*  Amos.  9  :  7. 


THE  PERIOD  OF  PREPARATION.  43 

these  races  were  the  best  and  that  the  later  peri- 
ods were  marked  by  degeneration.'' 

Whatever  divine  revelations  or  providential 
dealings  are  recorded  of  this  first  period,  they  are 
all  represented  then  as  extending  to  the  whole 
race  without  discrimination,  unless  it  be  that  dis- 
crimination was  the  result  of  individual  respon- 
siveness." Humanity  is  represented  as  one  in 
creation,  in  the  fall,  in  the  knowledge  of  sacrificial 
worship,'  in  the  example  set  for  it  by  God  for  the 
observance  of  a  weekly  rest  day,*  in  its  ability  to 
enjoy  fellowship  with  God,"  in  the  judgment  of 
God  upon  it  because  of  sin,'"  in  the  covenant 
made  after  the  Flood.''  None  of  these  revela- 
tions or  experiences  are  set  forth  as  coming  to 
any  one  man  or  family  because  of  a  limitation  of 
the  divine  operations  of  grace  to  a  certain  race  or 
tribe  or  family.  How  broad  is  the  gracious  cove- 
nant with  Noah.  "And  God  said  unto  Noah, 
This  is  the  token  of  the  covenant  which  I  have 
established  between  me  and  all  Hesh  that  is  upon 
the  earth/' 

But,   as   Fairbairn  points  out,   "there   was  a  a  Downward 

'  ^  ,  ,          Tendency. 

downward  tendency  in  the  process.     The  elect 

sWarneck's  "The  Living  Christ  and  Dying  Heathenism," 
page  10. 

6  There  are  some  who  make  the  particularizing  of  God's 
Plan  to  begin  with  Seth  instead  of  with  Abraham. 

'Gen.  4:  3-7;  8:  20.  i»  Gen.  7:  23. 

«  Gen.  2  :  2,  3.  "  Gen.  9  :  17. 

'Gen.  4:  26;  5:  24. 


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46 


GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 


seed  did  not  grow  as  time  advanced,  but  propor- 
tionately decreased;  the  cause  and  party  that 
flourished  was  the  one  opposed  to  God's.  And 
the  same  result  was  beginning  to  take  place  after 
the  flood,  as  is  evident  from  other  notices  of  the 
early  appearance  of  corruption.  The  tendency  in 
this  direction  was  too  strong  to  be  effectually  met 
by  such  general  revelations  and  overtures  of 
mercy.  The  plan  was  too  vague  and  indetermin- 
ate. A  more  specific  line  of  operations  was 
needed — from  the  particular  to  the  general;  so 
that  a  certain  amount  of  good,  within  a  definite 
range,  might  in  the  first  instance  be  secured ;  and 
that  from  this,  as  a  fixed  position,  other  advant- 
ages might  be  gained  and  more  extensive  results 
achieved."    So  there  is  unfolded  a  new  method. 


One  Man 
Chosen. 


The    Semitic 
Race. 


II.    Patriarchal  Period 

One  individual  man  is  to  be  selected  as  a  chan- 
nel for  divine  revelation,  as  a  subject  of  special 
providential  dealings,  so  that  he  and  his  descen- 
dants may  make  possible  God's  unfolding  of  His 
Plan  for  world  redemption.  Where  will  the  man 
be  found  ?    Who  will  he  be  ? 

God's  elections  are  always  in  harmony  with  a 
divine  fitness  which  His  wisdom  has  prepared 
and  therefore  uses.  We  go  to  distant  Babylonia. 
Here  dwelt  a  Semitic  race.  "Comparative  psy- 
chology plainly  teaches  this  much,  namely  that 


THE  PERIOD  OF  PREPARATION.  47 

the  Shemites  were  more  adapted  by  nature  than 
other  peoples — their  equals  or  superiors  in  cul- 
ture— to  see  the  absolute  in  the  finite,  the  work- 
ing of  God  in  nature,  His  action  in  history,  and  to 
hear  His  words  in  the  inner  spiritual  life  of  indi- 
viduals." God  selected  a  Shemite,  who  lived  not 
far  from  where  the  Tigris  and  the  Euphrates  flow 
together,  in  a  city  called  Ur  of  the  Chaldees. 
This  was  about  2000  B.  C.  In  the  course  of 
time,  the  family  moved  to  Haran  to  live.  The 
reasons  for  the  change  are  not  given,  but  it  was 
a  great  journey  for  those  days, — some  five  hun- 
dred miles  north-west.  That  the  family  was  re- 
ligious, we  know.  That  they  were  idolators,  we 
also  know."  Could  a  pure  religion  be  unfolded 
in  such  an  atmosphere?  Manifestly  not.  **Now 
Jehovah  said  unto  Abram,  Get  thee  out  of  thy 
country,  and  from  thy  kindred,  and  from  thy 
father's  house  unto  the  land  that  I  will  show 
thee." 

It  was  some  four  hundred  miles  to  the  south-  The  Divin© 
west  to  Canaan.  Hostile  peoples  lived  there. 
Abraham's  company,  all  told,  would  scarcely 
command  respect  as  a  caravan.  They  had  not 
yet  grown  to  the  proportions  of  a  tribe.  Why 
exchange  the  certainties  of  Haran  for  the  uncer- 
tainties of  an  unnamed  land?  It  was  a  critical 
moment,  but  we  read,  "So  Abram  went,  as  Jeho- 

"Josh.   24:  2. 


r««r 


48       god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

vah  had  spoken  unto  him."  And  upon  the  hinges 
of  this  man's  life,  God  swung  a  movement  for 
world  redemption.  The  Plan  for  world  redemp- 
tion was  well  under  way. 
A^Gr«at  Ca-  The  story  of  Abraham's  life  is  given  in  some 
thirteen  chapters."^  "The  great  outstanding 
events  of  his  career  were  his  call;  his  magnani- 
mous treatment  of  Lot,  his  intercession  for 
Sodom,  his  offering  of  Isaac,  and  his  purchase  of 
a  burial  place  from  the  sons  of  Heth."  There 
were  limitations  and  weaknesses  in  his  charac- 
ter. Twice  he  dissimulated  concerning  Sarah  his 
wife,  to  Pharaoh  "  and  to  Abimelech ;  '^  and  God 
used  these  heathen  rulers  to  rebuke  Abraham  for 
his  disloyalty  to  truth.  It  is  not  his  limitations, 
however,  but  his  virtues,  that  impress  us  most. 
He  was  the  great  Pioneer  of  Faith.  This  quality 
which  characterizes  above  all  else  our  Christian 
religion  of  to-day,"  this  quality  which  runs  like 
a  golden  thread  through  the  narrative  of  God's 
Plan  for  world  redemption"  and  which  leads 
men  unerringly  into  the  very  presence  of  God, 
this  quality,  faith,  Abraham  had  in  a  degree  that 
has  inspired  the  ages.  He  gave  a  first  splendid 
exhibition  of  it  when  he  left  home  and  country. 
He  showed  it  in  his  patient  waiting  for  God  to 
give  him  a  land  of  Canaan  which  had  been  prom- 
ts Gen.  12:  1-25:  10.  "Rom.  5:  1. 
"  Gen.  12  :  10-20.  "  Heb.  11. 
^''  Gen.  20  :   1-18. 


THE  PERIOD  OF  PREPARATION.  49 

ised  to  him.  He  displayed  this  same  quality 
awaiting  a  miraculous  fulfilment  of  the  promise 
ti;at  to  him  a  son  should  be  born,  though  he  was 
past  a  hundred  years  of  age  and  Sarah  was  past 
ninety.  He  again  displayed  this  quality  in  a  su- 
preme test,  when  bidden  to  offer  up  his  son 
Isaac. 

To  save  him  from  an  evil  environment  God  led  The  Providence 

of   God. 

him  out  of  Ur  to  Haran,  and  out  of  Haran  to  Ca- 
naan, and  out  of  Canaan  to  Egypt,  and  out  of 
Egypt  back  to  Canaan.  These  providential  mov- 
ings  broadened  his  vision  and  his  sympathies,  but 
they  also  kept  his  life  and  the  life  of  his  family 
isolated.  Strangeness  prevented  too  great  inti- 
macy or  intercourse  with  the  surrounding  peo- 
ples. Again  and  again  did  God  reveal  himself  to 
Abraham,  making  known  to  him  His  divine  char- 
acter and  methods. 

It  is  well  worth  while  to  notice,  at  the  close  of  The  Purpose  of 
Abraham's  life,  along  how  many  different  lines 
progress  had  been  made  in  the  unfolding  of  God's 
Plan: 

(a)  All  the  rich  content  of  early  revelation  was 
to  be  safeguarded  for  all  the  future  by  the  selec- 
tion of  this  religious  Shemite.  It  is  really  won- 
derful how  much  of  God  must  have  been  known 
even  before  God's  special  dealings  with  Abraham 
added  to  this  knowledge. 

(b)  A  man  had  been  discovered  who  would 


50       god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

serve  as  the  founder  of  a  race  in  whose  life  God's 
will  might  have  a  determining  influence.  Abra- 
ham's readiness  to  subject  his  life  plans  to  the 
will  of  God,  established  a  standard  of  obedience 
to  the  divine  will  which  powerfully  influenced  all 
his  posterity  in  their  tribal  and  national  develop- 
ment. 

(c)  A  human  channel  had  been  found  for  the 
continuous  and  progressive  revelation  of  truth. 
To  Abraham's  posterity  God  would  be  able  to 
make  advancing  revelations  of  Himself  without 
having,  as  it  were,  to  begin  over  again  with  each 
generation. 

(d)  A  human  agency  had  been  found  whose 
standards  of  morality,  even  though  often  imper- 
fectly realized,  would  serve  as  a  witness  to  God's 
holiness,  and  save  a  rapidly  deteriorating  world 
from  utter  moral  ruin  and  decay. 

(e)  A  deep,  abiding  impression  of  the  reality 
of  God  had  been  made  upon  at  least  one  family 
among  men.  Abraham  believed  that  God  was, 
and  that  He  was  a  rewarder  of  them  that  dili- 
gently seek  Him.  The  supreme  fact  of  his  life 
was  God. 

The  Mission-  (f)   Good  progress  had  been  made  in  revealing 

the  great  missionary  purpose  of  God  and  the 
world-wide  reach  of  His  Plan.  Again  and  again 
the  changes  are  rung  upon  the  all-inclusive  scope 
of  the  covenant  of  blessing,  "In  thee  shall  all  the 


ary  End. 


THE  PERIOD  OF  PREPARATION.  5I 

families  of  the  earth  be  blessed.''  It  was  the 
missionary  heart  of  Abraham  that  led  him  to 
plead  even  for  so  dissolute  and  abandoned  a  race 
as  that  of  Sodom.    He  had  learned  from  his  God. 

Isaac.  The  life  of  Isaac  was  uneventful.  He, 
too,  had  revelations  from  God.'*  He,  too,  was 
obedient  to  those  revelations.  But  on  the  w^hole 
little  is  recorded.  Of  Isaac's  two  sons,  Jacob  is 
the  one  through  whom  God  chose  to  unfold  His 
Plan. 

Jacob.  The  Bible  narrative  dwells  at  length  Jacob, 
upon  the  events  of  his  life.  There  is  not  space 
here  to  refer  to  these  events  individually.  An  ac- 
quaintance with  them  must  be  assumed.  The  aim 
here  is  only  to  emphasize  those  most  vitally  re- 
lated to  the  unfolding  of  the  divine  Plan. 

God's  Plan  called  for  worthy  characters  and 
lives  to  whom  His  truth  might  be  revealed  and  by 
whom  it  might  also  be  realized.  Now  Jacob  was 
a  strange  combination  of  worthy  and  unworthy 
traits.  "He  was  coarse,  selfish  and  passionate, 
having  business  capacity,  but  also  possessed  of  a 
religious  nature  which  was  capable  of  great  de- 
velopment. He  coveted  the  best  gifts.  He  had 
fixed  religious  principles.  He  was  steady  in  his 
habits.  The  struggle  that  went  on  within  him 
was  a  long  and  fierce  one ;  but  grace  conquered, 
and  Jacob,  'the  Overreacher,'  became  Israel,  'the 

"Gen.  26:  2-6. 


52       god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

Prince  with  God'."  If  the  purposes  of  God  are 
to  swing  upon  the  hinges  of  any  Hfe,  that  life 
must  be  purified.  God  cleansed  Jacob's  life,  and 
he  stands  before  us,  "a,  miracle  of  grace." 
Revelation  Ad-  Mcanv/hile,  divine  revelation  was  advancing. 
The  sense  of  the  reality  of  God  was  deepening. 
At  Bethel,  Jacob  realized  God's  presence."  At 
Peniel,  he  felt  God's  grip  upon  his  life.""  At 
Bethel  again,  he  heard  God's  voice.*^  The  great 
lesson  of  prevailing  intercession  is  taught  at 
Peniel.  The  sacred  obligation  of  the  tithe,  recog- 
nizing God's  sovereignty  in  human  wealth,  re- 
ceives a  renewed  emphasis  in  Jacob's  sacred  cove- 
nant.*^ How  vital  are  these  lessons  in  the  unfold- 
ing of  the  divine  Plan !  And,  finally,  the  universal 
scope  of  God's  beneficent  purposes  is  emphasized 
afresh,  and,  in  the  vision  at  Bethel,  Jacob  hears 
the  covenant  renewed,  "In  thee  and  in  thy  seed 
shall  all  the  families  of  the  earth  be  blessed." 

III.     Life  in  Egypt 

Down  to  During  the  latter  years  of  Jacob's  life,  his  fam- 

ily increased  in  numbers  not  only  by  the  marriage 
of  his  children  and  grandchildren,  but  by  the 
family's  increase  in  wealth,  which  meant  the  ad- 
dition of  quite  a  community  of  servants  and  at- 
tendants who  attached  themselves  to  the  family 

"Gen.   28:   10-22.  =i  Gen.   35:  9-15. 

=»Gen.   32:   24-30.  ^  Geri.  28:  22. 


THE  PERIOD  OF  PREPARATION.  53 

for  life.  The  time  had  come  for  a  great  turning 
movement  in  God's  providential  dealings  with 
Abraham's  posterity.  Jacob's  family  is  to  be 
lifted  out  of  Canaan  and  carried  down  to  Egypt, 
where  the  foundations  of  a  national  life  are  to  be 
laid.  A  tribe,  and  not  merely  a  family,  is  the  hu- 
man agency  with  which  God  now  deals.  We 
have  to  do  with  the  Israelites  and  not  merely  with 
Jacob.  The  problem  becomes  more  complicated, 
but  the  results  are  to  be  more  glorious,  for  the 
wisdom  and  power  of  God  are  to  be  revealed 
both  on  a  larger  scale  and  in  more  intricate  ways 
than  when  a  single  individual  or  a  single  family 
were  the  objects  of  His  guidance  and  care. 

The  steps  by  which  this  great  change  of  en-  J^^oSd!^^"^' 
vironment  was  effected,  are  narrated  in  the  last 
fourteen  chapters  of  Genesis  and  constitute  an 
almost  unparalleled  illustration  of  the  inscrutable 
wisdom  of  God  in  His  providential  dealings, 
whereby  each  individual  life  is  carried  forward 
by  a  special  guidance  suited  to  its  own  needs, 
while,  at  the  same  time,  the  larger  purposes  of 
God  for  whole  communities  and  nations  are  also 
accomplished. 

The  purposes  of  God  in  leading  Israel  into 
Egypt  may  be  summarized  as  follows : 

(a)  There  was  evident  need  to  get  away  from  ^^^^  ^^°°^ 
the    degrading    moral    atmosphere    of    Canaan. 
Israel  was  not  yet  strong  enough  to  conquer  the 


54  GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 

land  and  cleanse  it  by  conquest.  To  live  along- 
side of  such  pits  of  iniquity  as  Sodom  was  de- 
moralizing. Egyptian  life  was  not  a  model  of 
morality  but  it  was  an  improvement  upon  Ca- 
naan, and  in  any  case,  a  change  w^ould  make  evil 
influences  less  insidious. 

(b)  At  least  the  beginnings  of  national  life 
were  to  be  developed,  and  the  greatest  civilization 
of  those  early  days  might  well  make  its  contribu- 
tion to  Israel's  thought  and  national  conceptions. 

(c)  If  this  overgrown  family,  this  undeveloped 
tribe,  Israel,  was  to  pass  naturally  and  easily 
through  the  several  stages  of  its  adolescent  na- 
tional life,  there  was  need  for  placing  it  under 
the  protection  of  a  well  established  empire,  where 
it  might  be  set  free  from  the  constant  warfares 
and  conflicts  of  such  petty  nations  as  existed  in 
Canaan. 

coi^cidence^^^  A  remarkable  combination  of  providences 
brought  Israel  to  Egypt.  A  famine  in  Canaan 
brought  the  chief  men  of  Israel  to  Egypt  in  search 
for  food.  A  dynasty  of  Shepherd  Kings,  who 
by  ancestry  and  occupation  would  be  favorable  to 
these  descendants  of  Abraham,  claimed  the 
throne  of  Egypt.  These  two  providences  united 
in  bringing  about  the  settlement  of  Israel  in  the 
Nile  Valley. 

The  sojourn  in  Egypt  lasted  some  four  cen- 
turies.   During  the  early  part  of  this  sojourn,  the 


THE  PERIOD  OF   PREPARATION.  55 

Israelites  enjoyed  every  favor  and  advantage. 
During  the  latter  part  they  were  grievously  op- 
pressed. 

The  sojourn  in  Egypt  served  its  providential  ^S.shei'^'^^^ 
purpose.  In  the  safety  and  security  of  life  in 
Egypt,  the  family  of  Jacob  multiplied  most  rap- 
idly. Under  no  other  circumstances  is  it  conceiv- 
able that  there  should  have  been  such  an  increase 
in  numbers.  The  Israelites  also  developed  a  na- 
tional organization  of  a  clearly  defined  sort. 
There  were  distinct  tribes;  twelve  of  these. 
Within  the  tribe,  there  were  princes  by  birth. 
(Ex.  16:  22).  Also  elders  (Ex.  4:  29).  Also 
priests  (Ex.  19:  22).  Also  civil  officers  imposed 
by  Pharaoh  (Ex.  5:6).  So  effective  was  this 
organization  that  Moses  was  able  to  quickly  com- 
municate with  all  Israel  by  making  use  of  it  (Ex. 
4:  29;  12:  21). 

But  the  sojourn  in  Egypt  was  not  without  its  Penis  in 
perils.  In  the  midst  of  a  materially-minded  peo- 
ple, would  Israel  preserve  its  spiritual  life? 
Under  the  shadow  of  a  great  world  empire  would 
Israel  preserve  the  thought  of  a  sovereign  God? 
Enjoying  the  material  prosperity  of  life  in  the 
Nile  Delta,  would  Israel  be  mindful  of  the  Ca- 
naan inheritance?  Living  alongside  of  a  people 
only  moderately  moral,  would  Israel  hold  to  the 
highest  standards  of  righteousness?  Living  in 
the  midst  of  a  people  whose  religion  was  ex- 


56        god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

tremely  ceremonial  and  quite  idolatrous,  would 
Israel  hold  to  a  religion  of  reality  and  worship 
none  other  than  Jehovah  God,  the  Spirit  ?  ^ 
God's  Answer.  These  Were  serious  questions.  How  could 
they  be  answered?  In  the  providence  of  God, 
they  were  answered  by  a  change  of  dynasty 
which  brought  into  power  *'a  new  king  over 
Egypt,  who  knew  not  Joseph."  Oppression  fol- 
lowed, cruel,  deliberate,  purposeful,  aiming  at 
nothing  short  of  the  complete  enslavement  and 
possibly  the  extinction  of  the  Israelites.  Here 
was  punishment  for  Israel's  unfaithfulness  to 
God,  but  here  also  was  the  removal  of  all  danger 
from  amalgamation.  To  be  a  Hebrew  was  to  be 
branded,  and  the  Egyptians  would  have  naught  to 
do  with  such,  while  those  of  this  oppressed  race 
were  drawn  closer  together  by  the  very  sorrows 
of  their  oppression.  How  necessary  this  oppres- 
sion was  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  divine 
purposes  may  be  realized,  when  we  remember 
that,  even  so,  it  was  with  difficulty  that  Israel 
was  made  willing  to  go  forth  from  the  Land  of 
Bondage."^ 

Then  follows  that  remarkable  series  of  super- 
natural events  which  God  wrought  for  the  re- 
demption of  Israel  from  the  power  of  Egypt.  It 
is  a  story  full  of  interest.  Nowhere  in  history  is 
there  a  succession  of  scenes  of  such  dramatic 

23  Joshua  24:  14.  ^Ex.   14:   11-12;   16:  3. 


National   Con- 
sciousness. 


THE  PERIOD  OF  PREPAR7».TI0N.  57 

power  as  these  portrayed  in  the  first  fifteen  chap- 
ters of  the  Book  of  Exodus.  They  should  be  read 
anew,  as  the  significance  of  these  events,  follow- 
ing the  sojourn  in  Egypt,  are  now  noted : 

(a)  A  nation  awakes  to  its  national  and  relig- 
ious unity.  Its  families  had  had  common  experi- 
ence of  suffering  and  one  common  deliverance 
from  oppression.  Israel  has  one  God,  one  wor- 
ship.   Israel  is  one. 

(b)  The  nation  recognizes  that  it  stands  in  a 
peculiar  relationship  to  God.  God  has  a  distinct 
interest  in  their  national  life  and  theirs  is  a  cove- 
nant relationship  with  God. 

(c)  God  is  a  God  of  supreme  power.  "J^^^" 
vah  is  a  man  of  war."  "He  hath  triumphed  glo- 
riously." Never  was  the  power  of  this  revela- 
tion completely  lost  in  the  history  of  Israel.  When 
the  fires  of  patriotism  or  of  national  faith  burned 
low,  it  was  to  this  deliverance  by  power  that  the 
prophets  harked  back,  and  with  the  memory  of  it 
they  again  and  again  fanned  into  flame  the  dying 
courage  of  the  nation. 

(d)  Just  because  this  period  deals  with  the  de-  ^;jMPu?pose. 
liverance  of  Israel  from  all  but  total  extinction, 

there  is  not  much  said  about  the  extension  of 
blessing  to  all  the  world.  It  is  a  question  of 
saving  from  obliteration  the  very  agency  through 
which  the  world  blessing  is  to  come.  Yet  there 
is  a  development  of  this   religious  conception; 


S8 


GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 


Short  but 
nificant. 


Jig- 


Deep  Impres- 
sions. 


Jehovah's  rule  extends  not  only  to  His  people 
who  recognize  His  sway.  It  reaches  with  power 
and  judgment  to  all  nations  who  oppose  His  pur- 
poses, as  these  purposes  find  their  concrete  ex- 
pression in  His  will  for  His  chosen  Israel.^''  This 
is  a  world  vision,  though  it  is  one  of  judgment 
and  not  of  blessing. 

IV^.     Life  in  the  Wilderness 

This  period  extends  over  forty  years.  This  is 
but  one-tenth  of  the  length  of  the  former  period. 
But  God  does  not  measure  periods  by  years. 
One  day  may  be  with  Him  as  a  thousand  years, 
and  this  period  seems  to  be  vastly  more  signifi- 
cant in  the  unfolding  of  God's  Plan  than  the 
period  which  preceded  it.  It  will  be  easier  to 
study  it,  if  we  consider,  first,  the  development  of 
Israel's  life,  and,  secondly,  the  divine  revela- 
tions which  belong  to  this  period.  It  must  be 
recognized,  however,  that  these  two  subjects  are 
vitally  related  to  each  other. 

I.  The  Development  of  Israel's  Life.  Forty 
years  of  wilderness  life  would  naturally  make 
certain  deep  impressions.  There  would  be  phy- 
sical training  in  it.  Long  weary  desert  marches 
would  produce  a  hardening  of  the  muscles,  and  a 
wiry  strength,  which  residence  in  Egypt  could 
not  develop..    The  Israelites  ere  long  would  be 

23  Ex.   14  :   .18  :   15  :   14-16. 


THE  PERIOD  OF   PREPARATION.  59 

**in  training."  More  important  would  be  a  new 
sense  of  independence  and  liberty,  such  as  life 
under  the  shadow  of  a  great  Empire  would 
scarcely  encourage  and  such  as  the  days  of  op- 
pression in  Egypt  wholly  shut  out.  More  im- 
portant yet  was  the  opportunity  for  apprehend- 
ing the  reality  of  Jehovah's  presence  and  leader- 
ship. The  desert  environment  is  naturally  more 
stimulating  to  the  thought  of  God,  than  are  the 
conditions  of  a  very  populous  country ;  there  are 
greater  opportunities  for  thought  and  medita- 
tion. And  the  very  presence  of  Israel  in  the 
desert,  out  from  under  the  Egyptian  yoke  of 
bondage,  was  a  constant  reminder  of  the  reality 
of  Jehovah  God.  To  this  were  added  repeated 
if  not  constant  proofs  of  His  manifest  presence 
and  power:  the  quails,  and  the  manna,  and  the 
water  issuing  from  the  rock.  To  the  most 
thoughtless  and  sceptical,  God  must  have  seemed 
a  reality.  It  was  part  of  the  divine  purpose  that 
this  profound  religious  conception  should  be 
burned  into  the  life  of  the  nation,  until  God 
should  become  a  commonly  recognized  assump- 
tion of  Hfe. 

The  mistake  must  not  be  made  to  think  that  l^^^^^^^^  ^"" 
Israel  responded  perfectly  to  the  divine  efforts 
for  the  development  of  its  life.    On  the  contrary, 
there  was  disobedience  and  disloyalty  and  open 
rebellion.    Once,  and  that  in  the  midst  of  a  great 


6o       god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

religious  convocation,  the  people  gave  them- 
selves up  to  idolatry.  It  is  a  vivid  commentary 
upon  their  former  life  in  Egypt.  None  too  soon 
had  they  been  brought  out  of  that  environment. 
Only  the  intercession  of  Moses  and  the  most 
severe  measures  of  punishment  availed  to  pre- 
vent the  abandonment  of  the  chosen  race  by  God. 
Again,  the  time  came  to  enter  the  Promised 
Land.  The  people  stood  over  against  Kadesh- 
Barnea.  It  seemed  the  will  of  God  that  they 
should  enter  in  and  possess  the  land.  In  His 
providence,  a  political  situation  existed  which 
made  it  seem  "the  time  of  times"  to  enter  Ca- 
naan with  the  least  opposition.  Were  there 
enough  brave  hearts  in  Israel  to  dare  do  it  ?  The 
people  wavered.  With  undaunted  courage  and 
faith  Caleb  hurled  himself  into  the  breach.  ''We 
Raifying^cJy  ^^^  ^^^^  able,"  was  his  rallying  cry.  It  was  the 
modern  missionary  rallying  cry,  anticipated  by 
three  thousand  years :  *'We  can  do  it,  if  we  will." 
But  Israel  would  not,  and  was  turned  back  into 
the  wilderness  for  some  forty  years.  A  genera- 
tion later,  the  slower  and  more  painful  conquest 
was  accomplished,  not  by  way  of  the  South  for 
that  opportunity  had  passed,  but  by  way  of  the 
Jordan.  Again  and  again,  the  inspired  writers 
hold  up  this  portion  of  history  to  reveal  the  way 
in   which  human   disobedience   holds   back  and 


THE  PERIOD  OF  PREPARATION.  6l 

thwarts  the  rapid  unfolding  of  the  divine  Plan." 

If  men   will   not  take   God's  straight  and   easy 

way,  which  lies  always  in  the  direction  of  perfect 

obedience,  He  must  needs  lead  them  by  a  longer 

and  more  painful  way. 

2.     Divine  Revelations'.  The  Wilderness  Pe-  Divine  Reve- 
lations, 
riod  may  be   set  down  as  the  most  important 

period  in  the  history  of  Israel  in  the  revelation  of 
divine  truth.  It  is  true  that  the  period  of  the 
great  prophets  falls  very  little  behind  this  period 
in  its  contributions  of  divine  revelation.  Yet  the 
revelations  of  the  Wilderness  Period  are  so  fun- 
damental, so  unique,  so  original,  so  comprehen- 
sive, so  inexhaustible,  that  much  of  the  prophetic 
material  of  the  later  periods  seems  but  an  elabor- 
ation of  the  truths  revealed  in  the  Wilderness 
Period. 

It  is  impossible,  of  course,  within  our  limits  to 
detail  the  content  of  divine  revelation  which  came 
through  Moses.  The  latter  part  of  Exodus,  and 
the  books  of  Leviticus,  Numbers  and  Deuteron- 
omy are  taken  up  with  the  narration  of  these  re- 
vealed laws. 

Almost  all  the  fundamental  conceptions  of  our 
Christian  religion  found  statement  or  symbolical 
illustration  in  the  revelations  contained  in  these 
books  of  the  Pentateuch.  The  study  of  these  is 
a  work  by  itself  and  whole  volumes  have  been 


'sps.  106;  95;  Acts  7:  1-53. 


62       god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

written  on  the  subject.  Only  the  following  re- 
ligious conceptions  can  be  noted  here: 

Monotheism.  (a)  Jehovah  is  the  one  and  only  true  God. 

This  doctrine  of  one  God,  monotheism,  had  been 
held  even  before  iVbraham's  time,  but  in  the  Wil- 
derness Period  it  was  consciously  recognized  as 
the  supreme  fact  in  Israel's  religion,  and  idolatry 
was  denounced  as  disloyalty  to  Jehovah.  Ex.  20 : 
1-6;  :^2\  1-35;  34:  10-17.  Lev.  24:  10-23.  Deut. 
5:  6-10;  6:  4-5. 

(b)  Jehovah  God  is  holy,  and  requires  of  His 
people  obedience  to  His  holy  laws.  This  truth 
was  one  of  the  most  elaborated  and  most  empha- 
sized of  all  teachings  of  the  Wilderness  Period. 
It  was  necessary  to  lay  such  emphasis  upon  it. 
The  God  of  Israel  was  different  from  all  gods 

A  Holy  God.  chiefly  in  this:  He  was  a  God  of  holiness.  The 
conception  was  fundamental  to  the  whole  scheme 
of  redemption.  Without  the  recognition  of  sin, 
there  can  be  no  recognition  of  the  need  for  sal- 
vation. So  emphasis  was  laid  upon  moral  dis- 
tinctions in  every  possible  way:  in  distinctions 
between  the  clean  and  the  unclean  in  the  physical 
sphere,  in  matters  of  food  and  clothing  and  resi- 
dence and  sickness;  in  moral  laws  and  injunc- 
tions ;  and  finally  in  all  the  strict  rules  and  regu- 
lations relating  to  the  Sabbath,  to  sacrifices,  and 
to  worship  in  the  sanctuary.^^ 

"  These  references  run  through  the  whole  body  of  laws 
belonging  to  this  Period.  Consult  Fairbairn's  "The  Typology 
of  Scripture." 


THE  PERIOD  OF  PREPx^RATIOY.  63 

(c)  The  necessity  of  sacrifice  is  emphasized  ^tl^Lesson?*^ 
and  its  meaning  is  elaborated  and  ilkistrated. 
There  were  at  least  five  kinds  of  sacrifice  insti- 
tuted. The  "burnt-offering"  was  for  consecra- 
tion and  thanksgiving  (Lev.  i).  The  "meal- 
offering"  was  a  gift  to  secure  God's  favor  (Lev. 
2).  The  "peace-offering"  symbolized  friendship 
and  fellowship  (Lev.  3).  The  "sin-offering" 
was  for  expiation  and  atonement  (Lev.  4:  1-5: 
13).  The  "guilt-offering"  symbolized  satisfac- 
tion and  reinstatement  (Lev.  5:  14-  6:  7).  No 
more  important  contribution  to  the  unfolding  of 
the  Plan  of  World  Redemption  can  be  found 
than  in  the  revelations  of  these  Books  of  Moses 
relating  to  the  priesthood  and  to  sacrifice.  The 
way  was  being  made  straight  and  plain  which  led 
to  Calvary. 

V.    Period  of  Conquest  and  Judges 

The  Period  of  the  Conquest  and  of  the  Judges 
extends  from  about  1280  B.  C.  to  1050  B.  C. 
These  are  twenty-three  decades  concerning  which 
we  know  comparatively  little.  The  purpose  of 
God  moved  forward,  but  apparently  not  with 
great  rapidity.  That  failure  of  faith  at  Kadesh- 
Barnea  had  to  receive  its  just  punishment  in  the 
long  deferred  and,  even  then,  imperfect  con- 
quest of  Canaan ;  while,  at  the  same  time, 
through  the  wisdom  of  God  this  punishment  was 


64 


GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 


God    Their 
Leader. 


Imperfect 
Obedience, 


itself  made  to  serve  as  a  means  of  grace  to  re- 
move the  unworthy  elements  in  the  nation's  char- 
acter which  had  led  to  the  collapse  of  faith  at 
Kadesh-Barnea. 

During  the  days  of  conquest,  Joshua  was  the 
leader  of  the  nation.  His  leadership,  however, 
was  only  of  a  subordinate  character.  He  ever 
spoke  in  the  name  of  Jehovah.  The  Leader  of 
Israel  was  none  other  than  Jehovah  Himself.* 
During  these  days  of  conquest,  the  sense  of  the 
reality  of  God  was  deepened ;  the  nation  became 
still  more  conscious  of  God's  leadership,  as  they 
moved  forward  to  victory  when  obeying  God,"® 
or  fell  back  in  confusion  when  disobeying  Him.*" 
Moral  distinctions  were  maintained  by  public 
proclamations^^  and  special  enforcements. 

The  obedience  of  Israel,  however,  to  the  com- 
mand that  the  entire  land  be  conquered,  was  most 
imperfect."  The  result  of  this  disobedience  was, 
as  with  all  disobedience,  most  disastrous,  and 
God  caused  it  to  be  a  judgment  upon  Israel.^' 
Alas,  how  the  disobedience  of  man  hinders  the 
speedy  realization  of  the  divine  ideal !  Yet  how 
marvelous  is  the  patience  of  God  that  He  bears 
with  man's  disobedience,  and  how  marvelous  His 
wisdom  that,  at  last.  He  finds  a  way  for  the  re- 
alization of  His  will ! 


Josh.  5:   13-15. 
Josh.  6:  1-21. 
Josh.  7:   1-12. 


31  Josh.  8:  30-35. 

3»  Judges  1:  24-34. 

33  Judges  2:  10-23;  3;  1- 


THE  PERIOD  OF  PREPARATION.  65 

The  Story  of  Israel's  life  under  twelve  judges  Israel's  iron 
is  given  in  the  Book  of  Judges.  It  abounds  in 
scenes  of  dramatic  power  and  interest.  This 
period  has  been  called  "Israel's  iron  age."  The 
nation's  life  seemed  to  be  a  series  of  cycles  in 
which  disobedience  to  God  was  followed  by  some 
providential  judgment;  this  resulted  in  a  con- 
sciousness of  sin  and  national  repentance;  then 
came  some  providential  deliverer,  the  deliverance 
to  be  followed  again  by  another  lapse  into  na- 
tional unfaithfulness.  These  judges,  or  heroes, 
were  ''often  rude  and  barbaric  in  their  methods, 
were  rather  patriotic  warriors  than  moral  re- 
formers; and  yet,  under  God's  providence,  their 
work  in  its  ultimate  results  was  more  truly  relig- 
ious than  they  knew,  since  they  helped  to  shape 
that  nation  whose  whole  history  was  a  prepara- 
tion for  the  coming  of  Christ." 

Retrospect 

Before  passing  on,  it  is  well  to  look  back  and  Progress  Made, 
notice  the  progress  which  has  been  made  in  the 
Period  of  Preparation  in  so  far  as  this  Period 
has  been  studied.  In  the  millenniums  before 
Abraham,  God  is  represented  as  dealing  for  the 
most  part  directly  with  the  whole  race.  From 
Adam  to  Noah  there  was  steady  deterioration 
of  the  race.  A  new  start  was  made  v/ith  Noah, 
but  again  there  was  deterioration.  The  race  as 
5 


66        god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

a  whole  would  not  respond  to  this  method  of  di- 
rect and  universal  dealing. 

An  individual  was  then  selected,  Abraham. 
The  individual  became  a  family,  the  family  a 
tribe,  the  tribe  a  nation.  Not  uniformly,  not  per- 
fectly, yet  without  any  complete  lapse,  this  hu- 
man channel  for  divine  revelation  was  kept, 
throughout  a  millennium  and  a  half,  true  to  the 
divine  purposes  for  which  it  had  been  selected. 
The  elements  of  true  religion  had  been  revealed, 
moral  standards  of  life  and  conduct  had  been 
embodied  in  human  laws,  and  modes  of  worship, 
for  the  most  part  only  symbolical  as  yet,  had 
been  prescribed. 
whiieV  ^°^*^  Was  this  progress  worthy  or  unworthy  of  the 
millennium  which  had  elapsed  since  God's  call  to 
Abraham?  When  we  remember  the  frailty  of 
the  human  agency  through  which  God  worked, 
when  we  remember  the  reluctance,  the  disloyalty, 
the  disobedience,  the  sinful  wilfulness  of  man,  as 
God  sought  to  lead  him  on  farther  and  faster,  we 
can  but  marvel  that  such  good  progress  was 
made.  As  we  think  of  the  slight  progress  of  two 
millenniums  of  the  Christian  era  in  the  full  light 
of  divine  revelation,  the  temptation  to  criticise 
this  earlier  era  passes  away.  Man  is  not  strait- 
ened in  God.     He  is  straitened  only  in  himself. 


CHAPTER  III 


Later  Preparatory  Days 


"If  the  Old  Testament  teaches  in  Genesis  the  universal 
creatorship  of  God;  if  in  the  first  commandment  it  de- 
mands His  worship  alone;  if  in  its  definition  of  God  it 
makes  Him  all  in  all;  if  the  very  name  it  uses  for  an 
idol  signifies  nothingness;  if  in  Psalms  and  Prophets 
it  summons  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  to  praise  Him;  if 
it  narrates  the  divine  attempt  in  Ruth  and  Jonah  to 
turn  the  Jews  from  Pharisees  into  missionaries,  then  it 
does  not  for  a  moment  permit  us  to  rest  in  the  doctrine 
of  the  ancient  or  the  modern  Pharisees  that  the  king- 
dom of  heaven  on  earth  belongs  to  a  particular  race. 
The  missionary  character  of  the  Bible  inheres  in  the 
very  texture  of  the  Old  Testament.  'And  in  thy  seed 
shall  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed/  " — Bishop 
J.  W.  Bashford. 


Ill 

LATER  PREPARATORY  DAYS 

THE  Old  Testament  records  which  remain 
to  be  considered  cover  some  six  hundred 
years  of  the  Hebrew  nation's  life.  So 
extended  is  the  time  to  be  dealt  with  and 
so  detailed  the  historical  record,  that  it  is  only 
possible  to  touch  on  the  main  events  of  the  na- 
tion's life,  passing  by  for  the  most  part  all  bio- 
graphical sketches.  To  these  six  centuries  be- 
longs the  story  of  almost  all  the  books  of  the 
Old  Testament  which  follow  the  eighth  chapter 
of  I  Samuel. 

VI.    Period  of  the  United  Kingdom 

By  way  of  Samuel,  that  last  and  magnificent  Israel  a  King- 
personality  belonging  to  the  order  of  Judges,  and 
Saul,  the  first  and  most  disappointing  of  all  the 
kings  of  Israel,  the  Hebrew  nation  entered  upon 
the  last  stage  of  national  development  and  be- 
came a  kingdom. 

Three  kings  only  were  permitted  to  rule  over  a 
united  kingdom:  Saul,  David,  Solomon.  Under 
David  and  then  under  Solomon,  the  Hebrew 
kingdom  reached  a  wonderful  development.  Sur- 

69 


70       god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

rounding  nations  were  conquered;  the  Philis- 
tines, Moab,  Hadadezer  king  of  Zobah,  the 
Edomites,  the  Ammonites,  Amalek — these  all, 
at  the  hand  of  David.  Under  Solomon,  the  king- 
dom developed  great  material  resources,  numer- 
ous buildings  and  public  works  were  undertaken, 
the  great  Temple  of  Solomon  was  built,  a  politi- 
cal policy  of  daring  scope  was  adopted,  and  the 
fame  of  the  Hebrew  kingdom  and  of  its  king 
The  Queen  of  reached  to  distant  lands.  The  Queen  of  Sheba  ^ 
came  "frcnm  the  ends  of  the  earth"  to  visit  this 
seat  of  renown  and  left  as  a  proof  of  her  admira- 
tion some  three  million  dollars'  worth  of  gold. 
"If  we  ask  what  were  some  of  the  beautiful 
things  which  the  Queen  of  Sheba  beheld,  the 
record  leads  us  to  conclude  that  on  every  hand 
there  was  a  great  display  of  gold  (from  Ophir), 
and  silver  (probably  from  the  mines  of  Spain  and 
Asia  Minor),  precious  stones  and  spices  (from 
Arabia),  almug  trees  or  sandalwood  (from  In- 
dia), ivory  (from  India  and  eastern  Africa),  ce- 
darwood  (from  Lebanon),  a  temple  inlaid  with 
pure  gold,  palaces  and  stairways  beautifully  or- 
namented, an  endless  array  of  servants  and  cup- 
bearers, gorgeous  apparel,  a  rich  cuisine,  drink- 
ing-vessels  of  gold,  officers  in  costly  uniform, 
and  horses  and  chariots ;  in  short,  a  capital  wor- 
thy of  a  king  whose  wisdom  and  splendor  eclipsed 

iMatt.  12:   42;   I  K.   10;  2  Chron.  9. 


LATER  PREPARATORY  DAYS.  /I 

at  the  time  all  the  other  potentates  of  earth."  "  It 
seems  a  far  cry  from  the  turbulent  days  of  the 
Conquest,  only  some  two  centuries  back,  to  this 
"Golden  Age"  of  the  Hebrew  nation. 

This  national  experience  which  made  of  the  The  Kingdom 

-r-r   i  .1.1  1  1         1  and  the   Plan. 

Hebrew  nation  a  kingdom  and  a  monarchy,  bore 
a  very  vital  relation  to  the  unfolding  of  the  divine 
Plan.  It  was  a  development  sanctioned  finally  by 
divine  revelation,  although  at  first  the  motives  of 
the  people  who  desired  a  king  were  denounced 
as  unworthy.  Among  the  services  rendered  by 
this  national  development  were  the  following: 

(a)  The  religion  of  the  nation  found  a  more 
splendid  setting  and  a  more  abiding  center  in  the 
magnificent  Temple  of  Solomon.  This  was  built 
by  divine  sanction  and  must  have  added  materi- 
ally to  the  prestige  of  the  religion  of  Jehovah 
both  within  and  beyond  the  limits  of  the  Hebrew 
nation. 

(b)  By  its  wider  political  contacts  and  influ-  ^f^^jj^g^^*^® 
ence,  the  Hebrew  nation  became  almost  a  world- 
wide witness  to  heathen  nations,  both  in  behalf 

of  high  standards  of  morality  and  in  behalf  of 
that  religion  which  recognizes  Jehovah  as  the 
only  true  God. 

(c)  The  new  kingdom  ideas  and  the  new 
kingdom  experiences  of  the  nation  served  as  a 
canvas  on  which  could  be  painted  those  higher 

'  G.  L.   Robinson's  "Leaders  of  Israel." 


"^2       god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

spiritual  conceptions  concerning  the  Kingdom  of 
God ;  David  became  the  type  of  the  coming  King. 
The  things  that  were,  and  which  proved  both  im- 
perfect and  transient,  led  forward  to  the  thing 
which  was  yet  to  be,  and  which  would  be  both 
perfect  and  abiding. 

(d)  The  religious  conceptions  of  the  Hebrew 
nation  were  being  broadened,  and  reached  out 
beyond  the  limits  of  Palestine.  For  the  provi- 
dences of  God  were  co-operating  with  the  Spirit 
of  God  in  enlarging  the  sympathies  of  Israel. 

The  Missionary  We  may  wcU  ask  here.  How  clearly  did  the 
religious  leaders  of  this  period  realize  the  world- 
wide scope  of  the  religion  which  they  held  as  a 
national  faith?  In  one  sense,  it  matters  not 
greatly  whether  they  fully  realized  this  world- 
wide scope  or  not,  save  as  it  might  affect  their 
own  kindly  disposition  toward  their  heathen 
neighbors,  or  their  own  conception  of  God  as  a 
world  God.  It  would  be  sufficient  for  us  to 
know,  as  we  do,  that  God's  purposes  were 
world-wide,  whether  the  Hebrew  nation  realized 
it  or  not.  Yet  the  question  may  be  answered, 
and  it  may  be  answered  out  of  the  literature  of 
this  period. 

A  World  Crea-  First,  God  is  recognised  as  related  to  the  zvhole 
world  as  Creator.  Is  it  objected  that  this  is  only 
a  material  or  physical  relationship?  So  be  it. 
"That  is  not  first  which  is  spiritual,  but  that 


LATER  PREPARATORY  DAYS.  73 

which  is  natural;  then  that  which  is  spiritual." 
"As  in  all  the  spheres  of  divine  operation,"  says 
Dr.  James  Orr,  "grace  invariably  presupposes 
nature,  so  it  is  in  this."  The  unqualified  ascrip- 
tion to  God  of  the  creation  of  all  things  prepares 
the  way  for  the  assertion  and  the  recognition  of 
His  ownership  of  all  things ;  and  this  thought  of 
divine  ownership  is  a  necessary  foundation  which 
must  be  laid  securely  before  we  pass  on  to  the 
thought  of  a  divinely  projected  Kingdom.  Even 
your  benevolent  philanthropist  must  first  estab- 
lish his  proprietorship  over  a  given  property  be- 
fore he  may  project  upon  it  his  plans  for  its  im- 
provement. 

Note  then  how  God  is  declared  to  be  Creator 
of  all  things:  The  heavens  are  the  work  of  His 
fingers;  the  moon  and  the  stars  are  ordained  by 
Him  (Ps.  8:  3).  The  firmament  is  His  handi- 
work (Ps.  19:  i).  The  son  of  man  is  His  cre- 
ation (Ps.  8:  5).  As  Creator,  Jehovah  is  vested 
with  full  rights  of  ownership:  "The  earth  is  Je- 
hovah's, and  the  fulness  thereof;  the  world,  and 
they  that  dwell  therein.  For  He  hath  founded  it" 
(Ps.  24:  12).  The  claim  is  indisputable.  Thus, 
as  Creator  of  the  universe,  Jehovah  is  owner  of  it. 
His  ownership  of  it  gives  Him  the  right  to  pro- 
ject upon  it  His  divine  will. 

These  conceptions  lie  at  the  base  of  our  mod- 
ern missionary  activity:  "The    earth    is    Jeho- 


74       god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

vah's."  True,  but  His  divine  rights  are  not  re- 
cognized on  every  side.  To  the  Christian  Church 
is  committed  to-day  the  task,  with  "the  Sword 
of  the  Spirit,"  to  conquer  and  bring  into  loving 
subjection  the  world  which  is  His. 

jud  J^°^'^^  Secondly.    God  is  recognized  as  related  to  the 

whole  world  as  Moral  Judge.  This,  too,  is  a 
conception  which  makes  the  scope  of  religion 
world-wide  and  leads  to  the  missionary  idea. 

Jehovah  is  no  tribal  or  racial  God,  who  sets 
up  petty  and  artificial  standards  of  life  and  con- 
duct adapted  only  to  a  given  age  or  race.  Here 
is  a  God  of  essential  righteousness.  Whose  laws 
and  standards,  essential  like  Himselfj  go  forth 
into  every  age  and  place,  testing  every  creature, 
regardless  of  rank  or  riches,  of  color  or  caste,  of 
tribe  or  tongue.  Among  others,  the  following 
are  the  fundamental  moral  demands  which  Je- 
hovah God  makes :  Cleanness  of  hands,  obedience 
(Ps.  i8:  20,  21 ),  purity,  righteousness  (Ps.  19: 
8,  9),  truth  (Ps.  25:  5),  loving  kindness,  faith- 
fulness (Ps.  36:  5). 

He  Goes  Forth  Neither  is  this  moral  code  alone  fitted  to  world- 
wide application,  but  Jehovah  God  is  represented 
as  actually  going  forth  with  this  moral  code  to 
judge  men  and  their  works  by  it — not  Israelites 
alone,  but  men  generally :  "Jehovah  looked  down 
from  heaven  upon  the  children  of  men  to  see  if 
there  were  any  that  did  understand,  that  did  seek 


LATER  PREPARATORY  DAYS.  75 

after  God"  (Ps.  14:  2).  "J^^ovah,  His  throne 
is  in  heaven;  His  eyes  behold,  His  eyelids  try, 
the  children  of  men"  (Ps.  11:  4).  "Jehovah 
looketh  from  heaven;  He  beholdeth  all  the  sons 
of  men  from  the  place  of  His  habitation.  He 
looketh  forth  upon  all  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth"  (Ps.  33:  13,  14).  "Thou  sittest  in  the 
throne  judging  righteously.  Thou  hast  rebuked 
the  nations.     Thou  hast  destroyed  the  wicked" 

(Ps.  9:4,  5)- 
There  are  also  explicit  statements  setting  forth  Tbe  Kingdom 

a  world-wide  Kingdom,  the  Kingdom  of  God 
among  men.  The  Kingdom  of  God  is,  of  course, 
sometimes  identified  with  the  kingdom  of  Israel, 
but  we  are  told  of  the  world-wide  extent  of  the 
Kingdom :  ''Ask  of  Me,  and  I  will  give  Thee  the 
nations  for  Thine  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost 
parts  of  the  earth  for  Thy  possession"  (Ps.  2: 
8).  We  know  the  divine  character  of  the  King- 
dom's King:  "I  will  tell  of  the  decree:  Jehovah 
said  unto  Me,  Thou  art  My  Son ;  this  day  have  I 
begotten  Thee"  (Ps.  2 :  7).  We  see  His  just  rule: 
''He  will  judge  the  world  in  righteousness"  (Ps. 
9:8).  We  are  told  of  a  twofold  method  of  ex- 
tending and  establishing  the  Kingdom :  force  and 
persuasion.  In  some  cases,  force  is  depicted  as  at 
work:  "Thou  shalt  break  them  with  a  rod  of 
iron ;  Thou  shalt  dash  them  in  pieces  like  a  pot- 
ter's vessel  (Ps.  2:  8,  9).    In  Ps.  36:  5-12,  sua- 


filment. 


76       god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

sion  is  the  compelling  motive,  although  judgment 
accompanies  it.  If  we  turn  to  the  prayer  of  Solo- 
mon at  the  dedication  of  the  Temple,  we  shall 
read  words  of  surpassing  beauty  in  their  broad 
sympathy  for  the  alien.' 
An  Early  Ful-  When  SO  much  of  God's  will  and  purpose  and 
methods  was  apprehended  by  the  head  of  the  He- 
brew nation,  when  such  gratifying  progress  was 
being  made  in  the  unfolding  of  the  divine  Plan  in 
and  through  the  chosen  Hebrew  race,  did  it  not 
seem  as  if,  quickly  now,  the  purposes  of  God 
might  be  realized,  and  Christ's  coming  might 
have  been  anticipated  by  one  thousand  years? 
We  do  not  know  all  the  factors  in  the  delay.  We 
do  not  know  whether  or  not  the  great  outside 
world,  with  which  God  was  also  dealing  by  some 
other  preparatory  methods,  was  ready  for  the 
next  great  stage  in  the  unfolding  of  the  divine 
Plan.  We  do  know,  however,  that  Israel  itself 
had  not  grasped  even  that  measure  of  truth  which 
needed  to  be  revealed  before  the  coming  of 
Christ,  neither  had  Israel's  life  realized  that 
moral  cleansing  which  might  cradle  a  divine  In- 
carnation. There  was  vice  in  the  palace;  doubt- 
less there  was  vice  in  the  hovel.  The  times  were 
not  yet  fulfilled.  Man  was  not  ready.  The  dis- 
cipline of  several  centuries  must  yet  be.  The 
messages  of  the  prophets  must  yet  come. 

»  I  K.  8  :  41-43. 


LATER  PREPARATORY  DAYS.  TJ 

VII.    Period  of  the  Divided  Kingdom 


„  om 
Divided. 


After  the  death  of  Solomon,  the  Kingdom  of  5?^idSi°^* 
Israel  was  rent  in  twain.  The  event  had  been 
prophesied  in  the  days  of  Solomon  as  a  punish- 
ment for  his  lust  and  idolatry.*  ''When  he  died, 
elements  of  discord  pervaded  the  kingdom.  His 
people  were  oppressed  by  excessive  taxation, 
made  necessary  by  his  love  of  magnificence  and 
the  enormous  projects  in  which  he  was  involved." 
The  Northern  Kingdom,  including  ten  of  the 
twelve  tribes,  was  established  under  Jeroboam; 
the  Southern  Kingdom  consisting  now  only  of 
Judah  and  Benjamin,  continued  under  Reho- 
boam.  'The  division  of  the  empire  was  one  of 
the  great  turning  points  in  Hebrew  history.  By 
one  stroke  it  largely  undid  the  work  of  Saul  and 
David.  The  old  breach  between  the  north  and 
the  south,  thus  opened,  was  never  again  per- 
manently closed.  The  Hebrews  never  ceased  to 
dream  of  world-wide  conquest;  but  the  actual 
course  of  history  bore  them  to  a  very  different 
goal.  Each  of  the  two  Hebrew  kingdoms,  weak- 
ened by  civil  war,  was  henceforth  exposed  to 
almost  constant  attack  from  strong  foes.  As  a 
result  of  these  protracted  wars,  their  strength 
was   exhausted   and   they   became    weaker   and 

*  I  K.  11 :  9-13. 


o 


'prHYny'iCCy''. 
terj^vHOHar''"" 
"\lz) 

XYHdYHSOHar 


WVOeOHHH 

-iq^pnf .. 


visa^ 


THE  FERRY  PICTURES.       10  31. 
BOSTON   EDITION.  COPYRIGI- 


SARGENT,  185  6- 
EV   CURTIS  &  CAMERON. 


H  OSEA 


LATER  PREPARATORY  DAYS. 


n 


weaker  until  they  were  ground  under  the  iron 
heel  of  the  Assyrians  and  Babylonians." 

The  Northern  Kingdom.  For  two  centuries  ^°  *^^  North. 
the  Northern  Kingdom  maintained  an  indepen- 
dent existence.  During  this  period  it  had  nine- 
teen kings,  but  the  line  of  succession  was  con- 
stantly being  broken,  so  that  these  nineteen  kings 
represent  no  less  than  nine  dynasties.  There 
seems  to  have  been  a  steady  moral  and  spiritual 
decline.  Of  the  kings  of  the  Northern  Kingdom, 
all,  with  the  exception  of  Jehu,^  seem  to  have  been 
men  with  unqualifiedly  bad  records.  Like  a  dis- 
mal refrain  it  is  recorded  of  almost  all,  "He  did 
that  which  was  evil  in  the  sight  of  Jehovah." 

Yet  Jehovah  was  gracious  to  the  Northern 
Kingdom,  and  stood  ready  to  use  it  also  as  a 
channel  for  divine  revelation.  Lion-hearted  re- 
formers, such  as  Elijah  and  Elisha,  and  noble 
prophets,  such  as  Amos,  and  Jonah  (the  first  for- 
eign missionary  prophet),  and  Hosea,  were  com- 
missioned either  to  try  to  stem  the  rising  tide  of 
immorality  and  godlessness,  or  else  to  minister  to 
the  further  development  of  the  nation's  concep- 
tion of  God.  Did  ever  the  missionary  heart  of 
God  reveal  itself  more  perfectly  than  in  the  nar- 
rative of  the  Book  of  Jonah  and  in  the  compas- 
sion which  He  is  portrayed  as  having  for  the 
heathen  city  of  Nineveh  ?    Of  the  work  and  suc- 

"^11  K.   10:   30. 


8o       god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

cess  of  these  prophets,  the  following  paragraphs 
tell  clearly: 
The  Supreme  "The  supreme  miracle  of  Israel's  history  is  that  out  of 
this  period  of  overwhelming  doubt  there  arose  certain 
men  like  Amos  and  Hosea,  whose  faith  was  strengthened 
rather  than  daunted  by  the  problems  of  the  hour,  and 
who  beheld  with  clear  vision,  not  a  God  weak  or  capri- 
cious who  ruled  as  merely  the  champion  of  little  Israel, 
but  one  supreme  God  of  justice  and  love,  who  absolutely 
and  justly  controlled  the  forces  of  nature  as  well  as  the 
affairs  of  men.  They  recognized  that  the  impending 
advance  of  Assyria  was  not  because  Jehovah  was  pow- 
erless or  regardless  of  the  fortunes  of  his  people;  it 
was  rather  because  of  Israel's  deep-seated  guilt.  They 
appreciated  the  necessity  for  some  great  revolutionizing 
experience  which  would  turn  the  people  from  their 
apostasy  and  crimes  to  the  recognition  of  the  character 
and  demands  of  the  one  true  God  who  had  ever  guided 
them  from  the  first  and  had  in  store  for  them  a  destiny, 
if  they  were  but  prepared  for  it,  far  more  glorious  than 
popular  poet  had  ever  pictured.  Assyria,  therefore,  was, 
in  their  eyes,  Jehovah's  agent,  not  of  mere  judgment,  but 
of  that  discipline  which  was  necessary  before  Israel 
would  be  prepared  for  the  noble  destiny  which  awaited  it. 
"In  the  stress  of  their  own  personal  and  national 
experiences,  Amos  and  Hosea  likewise  saw  clearly  the 
insufificiency  of  the  popular  religion  and  ceremonial 
formalism  of  their  day.  The  God  of  justice  and  love 
whom  they  beheld  could  not  be  worshipped  or  pleased 
by  mere  forms  and  sacrifices.  Hence  they  proclaimed 
the  immortal  truth,  which  humanity  has  been  so  slow 
to  accept,  that  justice  and  mercy  and  love  toward  God 
and  man  are  the  only  gifts  which  will  win  the  divine 
favor. 


LATER  PREPARATORY  DAYS.  8 1 

"The  Northern  Israelites  as  a  whole  failed  utterly  to  ^^^^^^^  *°  *^® 
respond  to  the  plain,  convincing  appeals  of  their  noblest 
prophets.  Hence  the  nation  lost  its  life,  as  Amos  and 
Hosea  had  predicted.  A  few  thoughtful  souls  doubt- 
less paid  heed,  and  in  their  own  spiritual  experience 
realized,  in  the  face  of  public  and  private  disaster,  the 
truth  of  the  words  which  the  prophets  had  proclaimed. 
Northern  Israel  lost  its  life,  but  Judah  became  the  heir 
of  its  rich  spiritual  heritage,  and  preserved  and  trans- 
mitted it,  so  that  to-day  that  exalted  ethical  spiritual 
monotheism,  first  revealed  to  a  few  earnest  men  and 
by  them  flashed  before  the  bewildered  vision  of  the 
corrupt  rulers  and  leaders  of  Northern  Israel,  has  be- 
come the  possession  and  inspiration  of  all  mankind." 

The  Southern  Kingdom.  During  the  two  cen-  in  the  South, 
turies  of  the  Period  of  the  Divided  Kingdom,  the 
Southern  Kingdom  maintained  unbroken  the  Da- 
vidic  line  of  kings.  For  the  most  part,  these 
also  were  unworthy  characters;  almost  all  of 
them  idolators.  Was  it  any  wonder  that  the  Plan 
of  God  could  unfold  but  slowly,  under  such  cir- 
cumstances ?  Three  of  the  kings  of  Judah  did  in- 
stitute reforms,  Asa,  Jehoshaphat  and  Hezekiah ; 
and  prophets  were  raised  up  to  call  the  nation 
back  to  God,  Joel,  Isaiah  and  Micah,  possibly  also 
Obadiah.  Again  and  again  did  Isaiah,  "the  king 
of  prophets,"  call  the  king  of  Judah  back  from 
political  entanglements  which  spelled  disloyalty 
to  God  and  national  ruin.  Thus  was  the  nation 
saved  from  greater  moral  decay  on  the  one  hand 
and  from  immediate  political  ruin  on  the  other. 

6 


Prophets. 


82        god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

Meanwhile,  the  very  darkness  of  the  political  and 
religious  outlook  was  being  used  of  God  to  turn 
the  thoughts  of  the  spiritually-minded  toward  the 
more  distant  Hope.  Isaiah  and  Micah  prophe- 
sied both  in  this  period,  and  in  the  next,  when 
their  prophecies  will  be  referred  to.  Joel,  how- 
ever, is  thought  by  many  to  belong  to  this  period.' 
His  prophecy  contains  a  call  to  repentance  and  a 
gracious  promise.  In  the  former,  he  lifts  the 
vision  of  an  impending  crisis,  "the  day  of  the 
Lord."  In  the  latter  he  refers  so  luminously  to 
that  which  had  at  least  a  beginning  of  fulfilment 
on  the  Day  of  Pentecost :  "It  shall  come  to  pass 
afterward,  that  I  will  pour  out  my  Spirit  upon  all 
flesh." ' 

VIII.     Period  of  the  Single  Kingdom 

With  the  fall  of  Samaria  in  722  B.  C,  the 
Northern  Kingdom  came  to  an  end.  This  date, 
however,  was  of  little  significance  to  the  South- 
ern Kingdom  as  its  life  was  preserved  until  the 
Exile  in  586  B.  C.  The  ministries  of  Isaiah  and 
Micah  extended  into  this  period,  and  there  ap- 
peared also,  Jeremiah,  Nahum,  Habakkuk,  Zepha- 
niah. 

Two  characteristics  of  this  period  are  note- 
worthy.    One    was   the   increasing   corruption, 

6  others  refer  Joel  3  :  1-2  to  the  exile  of  Judah  instead  of 
Israel   and  assign  the  prophet  to  a  post-exilic  period. 
^  Joel  2  :   28  ;   Cf.  Acts  2  :  17. 


LATER  PREPARATORY  DAYS.  83 

which  was  manifesting  itself.    The  other  was  the 
increasingly  spiritual  vision  of  prophecy. 

Corruption  was  increasing.  But  one  kinsr  can  corruption  in- 
be  reckoned  good,  Josiah.  Announcements  of 
impending  divine  judgments  are  received  with 
scorn  and  defiance.^  The  prophets  are  impris- 
oned for  speaking  in  the  name  of  Jehovah."  False 
prophets  catch  the  public  ear."  The  nation  claims 
immunity  from  danger,  and  political  security,  be- 
cause of  its  covenant  relations  with  God,"  at  a 
time  when  its  life  is  in  open  defiance  of  the  laws 
of  God.  Could  God  reveal  to  an  age  so  corrupt 
Kis  glorious  plans  of  redemption  ?  As  though  to 
challenge  these  evils,  through  the  messengers  of 
God  more  daring  declarations  than  ever  were 
made.  God  seemed  to  use  the  darkest  hour  of 
Israel's  history  to  bring  out  the  most  brilliant 
stars  of  hope. 

The  fulfilment  of  God's  Plan  is  variously  por-  gifd*^'"?ian. 
trayed.  It  is  a  Kingdom."*  It  is  a  world  with 
the  house  of  Jehovah  as  its  center  of  interest."^ 
It  is  an  exalted  Zion."  Its  blessedness  baffles  de- 
scription. It  brings  joy."^  It  brings  peace  and 
justice,  forgiveness  and  health."  Death  is  taken 
away."    God  is  the  great  Defender.'' 

8  Jer.   36  :  23,  24.  ^  Isa.   2  :   2-4. 

9  2  Chron.   36  :   16  ;  "  Zech.   8  :  1-7. 
Jer.  26  :  20-23.  «  Isa.  9  :  3. 

10  Jer.  28.  "Isa.   33:  17-24. 
"  Jer.   7:4.                                      "  Isa.   25  :   8. 
"Mlcah  4:  S.                                "  Zech.  12:   8,  9. 


84       god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

Holiness.  jn  contrast  with  existing  conditions  of  evil, 

there  will  be  conditions  of  holiness,  and  all  will 
''be  called  holy,  even  every  one  that  is  written 
among  the  living  in  Jerusalem;  when  the  Lord 
shall  have  washed  away  the  filth  of  the  daugh- 
ters of  Zion,  and  shall  have  purged  the  blood  of 
Jerusalem  from  the  midst  thereof,  by  the  spirit  of 
justice  and  by  the  spirit  of  burning"  (Isa.  4:  3, 
4).  The  people  of  that  Golden  Age  will  serve 
Jehovah.^  His  law  will  be  written  on  their 
hearts.^    There  will  be  cleansing  from  all  sin." 

sion^°^^^  ^^'  ^^^  scope  of  these  blessed  purposes  is  world- 
wide. "Jehovah  shall  be  known  to  Egypt,  and 
the  Egyptians  shall  know  Jehovah  in  that  day" 
(Isa.  19:  21).  "The  veil  that  is  spread  over  all 
the  nations''  shall  be  taken  away.  All  languages 
shall  be  cleansed  from  their  pollution.'' 

Just  because  of  the  greatness  of  the  work  and 
the  magnitude  of  the  divine  plan,  it  will  require 
supernatural  power  to  carry  it  through.  "The 
zeal  of  Jehovah  of  hosts  will  perform  this"  (Isa. 
37:  32).  The  human  agency  through  which  this 
divine  working  will  manifest  itself  is  Israel.  Not 
all  Israel,  but  the  true  Israel,  even  though  this 
element  be  so  small  as  to  be  called  nothing  but  a 
Remnant.*^     Then  again,  elsewhere,  the  agency 

i9Jer.  30:  9. 

^  Jer.  31 :  31-34. 

»-Zech.  13:  1,  2. 

"  Isa.  25  :  7  ;  Cf.  2  Cor.  3  :  16  ;  Zeph.  3  :  9. 

*5  Isa.  37  :  32  ;  10  :  20,  21. 


LATER  PREPARATORY  DAYS.  85 

becomes  an  agent,  an  Anointed  One,  a  Branch," 
the  Servant  of  Jehovah,*"  the  King."" 

The  time  for  the  fulfilment  of  the  farther  and  TeSpfi"  De- 
the  nearer  purposes  of  God  is  described  as  "that  stroyed. 
day," ""  "at  the  end  of  the  days,"  *  "the  day  of 
Jehovah."  " 

IX.    Period  of  Exile 

In  586  B.  C,  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  with  the 
Temple  of  Solomon,  was  destroyed  and,  shortly 
afterward,  the  best  blood  of  the  nation  was  taken 
off  to  Babylonia  in  captivity.  The  effect  of  this 
political  disaster  was  to  overwhelm  forever  the 
claims  of  those  who  had  attached  a  magical  vir- 
tue to  the  Temple  and  who  had  regarded  the 
chosen  nation  as  secure  from  punishment,  no 
matter  what  its  sins  might  be.  It  shattered  that 
confidence  in  a  ceremonial  religion  which  the  ma- 
terially-minded element  in  the  nation  had  enter- 
tained. Jehovah  was  revealed  to  be  a  God  Who 
set  a  supreme  value  upon  moral  quality.  He 
would  rather  have  His  Temple  destroyed,  than 
permit  His  moral  law  to  be  broken  with  impunity. 
He  preferred  reality  in  religion  to  a  formal  wor- 
ship. His  choice  of  Israel  was  for  moral  ends 
and  great  unselfish  purposes.    If  Israel  as  a  na- 

^Isa.  11:   1-5;   Jer.  23:   5. 

2«Isa.   42:   1-4;   52:   13-53:  12. 

«Zecli.  9:  9-10;  Isa.  9  :  6  ;  33  :  17. 

="Micali.   4:   6.  2s  jga.  2:  2.  »  Zeph.  1:  7. 


/ 


86        god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

tion  would  not  serve  these  ends  and  purposes,  He 
would  reject  the  nation  and  crush  their  national 
life,  if  so  He  might  draw  out  of  the  mass  a  rem- 
nant that  would  realize  His  will. 
Two^JThings  x^yQ  things  needed  now  to  be  done  to  carry 

forward  the  purposes  of  God  in  His  dealings 
with  the  exiled  race.  There  was  need  for  some 
influence  to  he  exerted  upon  their  oppressors  to 
mitigate  the  rigors  of  their  captivity.  This  need 
was  met  in  Daniel.  There  was  need  for  some 
one  to  inspire  the  courage  and  guide  the  spiritual 
hopes  of  the  exiles  themselves.  This  need  was 
met  in  Ezekiel.  Wrapped  in  symbolism  which 
forbids  dogmatic  interpretation,  both  prophets 
foretell  the  deliverances  of  the  remnant  and  the 
consummation  of  the  Kingdom  purpbses  of  God. 

X.    Period  of  Restoration 

The  Return.  In  538  B.  C.,  permission  is  given  to  the  Jews 

to  return  to  Jerusalem,  and  rebuild  their  temple. 
About  43,000  of  them  did  so.  These  would  na- 
turally be  the  more  patriotic  and  the  more  pious 
of  the  exiles.  Almost  insuperable  difficulties 
faced  them  as  they  sought  to  restore  their  city 
and  rebuild  the  Temple.  For  this  hour  of  gloom 
and  of  fear,  prophets  were  raised  up — Haggai, 
Zechariah  and  Malachi — who  warned  the  people 
against  the  false  ceremonial  religion  of  former 
days  and  against  a  false  confidence  in  formal 


LATER  PREPARATORY  DAYS.  %y 

covenant  relations,  and  who  brought  to  the  people 
prophecies  of  a  supernatural  co-operation  which 
would  make  the  mountain  to  become  a  plain: 
''Not  by  might  nor  by  power,  but  by  My  Spirit, 
saith  Jehovah  of  hosts." 

Retrospect 

Thus  we  come  to  the  close  of  the  Old  Testa-  Looking  Back, 
ment  record  by  surveys  which  have  been  indeed 
most  hurried  and  most  superficial,  but  which  may 
have  this  advantage,  that  they  set  forth  with 
clearness  the  double  work  of  God :  by  His  provi- 
dences guiding  and  moulding  the  life  of  His  peo- 
ple ;  and  by  His  revelations  unfolding  to  them  the 
spiritual  truth  which  was  for  their  immediate  sal- 
vation and  for  the  subsequent  service  of  the 
whole  race. 

In  a  former  chapter,  Israel's  development  was 
followed  until  the  time  when  Israel  became  a 
kingdom.  In  this  chapter  God's  great  Plan  is 
seen  portrayed  in  bolder  and  more  sweeping  out- 
line, as  the  providence  of  God  widened  the  hori- 
zon of  the  nation.  Had  the  human  channel  of  di- 
vine revelation,  Israel,  remained  but  a  family  or 
a  tribe,  it  would  not  have  been  able  to  grasp  nor 
express  God's  great  thought  for  human  redemp- 
tion. But  in  the  life  of  the  chosen  race  appeared 
great  traits  of  evil.  Israel  was  neither  true  to 
the  leadings  of  Jehovah's  providences,  nor  true 


god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 


Leading   Up. 


A  Threefold 
Need. 


to  the  teachings  of  Jehovah's  revelation.  Through 
such  an  agency  the  divine  Plan  could  not  be  un- 
folded. Decades  and  centuries  of  discipline  and 
pleading  intervened  in  which  judgment  and  mercy 
mingled,  so  that  a  worthy  people,  be  they  ever 
so  few,  might  be  developed  to  grasp  God's 
thought  and  do  God's  will. 

The  process  cannot  be  followed  in  all  its  de- 
tails. All  the  events  of  Israel's  life  are  not  re- 
corded for  us.  The  full  significance  of  the  events 
which  are  recorded  is  not  always  explained. 
Enough  is  at  hand  to  show  that  in  the  end,  God's 
great  Preparatory  Stage  reached  a  successful 
conclusion.  Divine  truth,  moral  teachings,  relig- 
ious conceptions,  a  knowledge  of  God,  a  realiza- 
tion of  sin — these  all  were  transmitted  to  man, 
and  had  become  the  possession  of  man  unto  sal- 
vation for  those  who  believed  and  obeyed.  Fur- 
thermore a  race  had  been  developed  within  whose 
life  the  conditions  were  fulfilled  which  God 
wanted  for  the  next  great  step  in  the  unfolding 
of  His  Plan, — the  Incarnation. 

The  Old  Testament  dispensation  had  unfolded 
man's  need  along  three  distinct  lines ;  and  God's 
Plan  even  in  its  preparatory  stage,  had  made  a 
partial  provision  for  these  three  needs,  while  at 
the  same  time  it  promised  that  the  perfect  and 
permanent  provision  would  come  in  God's  good 
time,     (i)  The  first  need  unfolded  was  that  for  a 


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90       god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

priest  who  would  mediate  between  a  holy  God 
and  a  guilty  sinner,  and  a  sacrifice  which  would 
expiate  sin.  The  Aaronic  priesthood  and  the 
elaborate  sacrificial  rites  which  were  instituted, 
set  forth  this  need  and  symbolized  God's  future 
provision  for  it.  (2)  The  second  need  unfolded 
was  that  for  a  king  who  would  be  at  the  head  of 
the  kingdom  to  lead  in  time  of  war  and  rule  in 
time  of  peace.  He  was  needed  to  exercise  au- 
thority, unite  the  conflicting  interests  of  the 
many  by  his  sovereign  will,  and  be  the  honored 
head  of  the  nation.  If  an  Israelite  had  been 
asked  to  state  this  need  more  definitely,  he  would 
instantly  have  described  it  in  terms  of  what  King 
David  meant  to  the  Hebrew  nation.  (3)  The 
third  need  unfolded  was  that  for  a  prophet,  one 
who  would  reveal  fully  and  perfectly  the  charac- 
ter and  will  of  God. 

The  earnest  soul,  hungering  for  this  knowl- 
edge of  God  and  this  fellowship  with  Him,  asked 
whether  this  threefold  need  could  be  met.  "Yes," 
comes  the  answer: 

"It  shall  be 
A  Face  like  my  face  that  receives  thee ;  a  Man  like  to  me, 
Thou  shalt  love  and  be  loved  by,  forever:  a  Hand  like 

this  hand 
Shall  throw  open  the  gates  of  new  life  to  thee:     See 

the  Christ  stand!" 


CHAPTER  IV 


Christ's  Place  in  God's  Plan 


"Christianity  is  the  final  religion,  because  all  further 
progress  in  our  knowledge  of  God  and  His  ways  must 
be  based  upon  and  conditioned  by  the  saving  power  of 
Jesus  Christ.  Whatever  else  God  may  do  for  the  race, 
He  will  not  abolish  the  supreme  significance  of  our 
Lord." — W.    Douglas   Mackenzie. 

"And  so  the  Word  had  breath,  and  wrought 
With  human  hands  the  creed  of  creeds 
In  loveliness  of  perfect  deeds. 
More  Strang  than  all  poetic  thought." 

— Alfred  Tennyson. 

"The  coming  of  the  Christ  is  God's  plan  for  each 
people  whose  life  He  maintains  on  the  earth.  They 
wait  for  Him." — W.  O.  Carver. 


IV. 

CHRIST'S  PLACE  IN  GOD'S  PLAN 

4  i  'W/^  HEN  the  fulness  of  the  time  came, 
\^  God  sent  forth  His  Son."  The 
days  of  Preparation  are  over,  the 
Period  of  ReaHzation  has  begun. 
The  Sacrifice,  toward  which  pointed  all  earlier 
sacrifices,  is  to  be  provided.  The  Priest,  of 
which  Aaron  and  his  house  were  but  imperfect 
forerunners,  is  to  be  inducted  into  ofBce.  The 
King,  for  whom  David  served  for  a  millennium 
as  type,  is  to  appear.  The  Prophet,  who  will  per- 
fectly reveal  the  full-orbed  truth  concerning 
which  "the  prophets  sought  and  searched  dili- 
gently," is  to  come  forth.  We  pass  from  the  Old 
Testament  to  the  New,  from  Israel  to  Christ. 
The  divine  Plan  which  began  with  a  single  life 
sweeps  back  to  a  single  Life. 

Is  it  not  a  new  Plan,  some  change  of  purpose  Not  a  New 
on  the  part  of  God?  No.  It  is  the  same  Plan. 
In  proof  of  this,  see  how  Christ's  life  and  work 
are  linked  up  with  God's  past  dealings  with  Is- 
rael. The  first  announcement  of  His  coming  was 
made  in  the  Temple.*    He  was  born  in  Bethle- 

1  Luke  1 :  8-17. 

93 


94       god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

hem,  the  home  of  Israel's  shepherd  king.  He 
came  of  Jewish  lineage.  He  was  brought  up  as 
a  Jewish  lad.  He  studied  and  was  master  of  the 
Jewish  Scriptures.  His  life  is  constantly  por- 
trayed as  a  fulfilment  of  the  prophecies  of  former 
days/  His  message  was  the  message  of  earlier 
days,  only  ampler,  fuller.  So  loyal  was  He  to  all 
past  unfoldings  of  God's  Plan,  that  He  could 
say,  "Think  not  that  I  came  to  destroy  the  law  or 
the  prophets:  I  came  not  to  destroy  but  to  ful- 
fil" (Matt.  5  :  17).  So  much  did  He  feel  Himself 
to  be  a  part  of  that  Plan  that  He  could  say  to 
the  unspiritual  men  who  criticised  Him  for  break- 
ing with  the  past,  "Your  father  Abraham  re- 
joiced to  see  My  day;  and  he  saw  it  and  was 
glad"  (John  9:  56).  It  is  the  same  Plan  of 
World  Redemption  which  was  given  to  the  race 
after  the  Fall,  when  the  words  of  hope  were 
The  Old  spoken,  "He  shall  bruise  thy  head  and  thou  shalt 

Promise.  ^^^-^^^  j^j^  j^^^j,,   ^q^^^  3:  '15).     It  is  the  Same 

Plan  of  World  Redemption  which  called  Abra- 
ham out  of  Haran  and  said  to  him,  "In  thee  shall 
all  the  families  of  the  earth  be  blessed"  (Gen.  12: 
3).  It  is  the  same  Plan  of  World  Redemption 
which  found  such  wonderful  revelation  through 
Isaiah,  the  king  of  prophets :  The  same  Plan  still, 
but  now  in  the  Period  of  its  Realisation.  The 
agency  is  no  longer  Israel,  wilful,  reluctant,  way- 

«Luke  24:  27. 


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CHRIST  S  PLACE  IN  GOD  S  PLAN.       95 

ward,  disobedient.  The  Agent  is  Christ,  faith- 
ful, obedient,  willing,  blameless.  And  so,  the  un- 
folding of  the  divine  Plan  is  perfect. 

Quietly  came  God's  perfect  Agent  for  human  How  He  came, 
redemption,  ''like  the  breaking  of  each  new  day 
from  the  silent  cavern  of  night,  like  the  stir  of 
happy  spring  from  the  fruitless  winter-tide."  A 
babe  was  born  in  a  manger  at  Bethlehem.  Of 
His  early  life  we  know  but  little.  He  was 
brought  up  in  a  carpenter's  home  in  Nazareth. 
Nazareth  was  a  town  with  an  evil  reputation.  It 
must  have  had  at  least  its  share  of  sinful  and 
spotted  lives.  But  the  Boy  Jesus  kept  His  life 
unspotted  and  pure.  He  "did  not  have  what  was 
regarded  as  a  liberal  education, — the  Pharisees 
of  Jerusalem  counted  this  a  reproach' — but 
what  educational  advantages  Nazareth  afforded 
were  doubtless  placed  at  His  disposal."  Follow- 
ing the  custom  of  His  people,  He  learned  a  trade, 
the  trade  of  His  father.  So  He  became  a  carpen- 
ter. Justin  Martyr  says  He  made  plows  and 
yokes.  Almost  the  only  record  of  these  years  of 
His  life  is,  that  He  "advanced  in  wisdom  and 
stature,  and  in  favor  with  God  and  man"  (Luke 
2:  52).  He  arrived  at  young  manhood.  He 
went  forth  from  Nazareth  and  gathered  a  group 
of  men  about  Him  and  taught  them.  They  fol- 
lowed Him.    Just  why,  they  did  not  know.     He 

'John  7:  15. 


96       god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

His  Command-  h^d  a  commanding  way.  He  had  a  wonderful 
personality.  He  unfolded  truth  in  a  wondrous 
manner.  Their  lives  were  gripped  by  what  He 
was,  by  what  He  said,  and  by  what  He  did ;  and 
so  they  continued  to  follow  Him.  Every  day  they 
seemed  to  get  new  points  of  view  about  things. 
They  tried  to  adjust  their  old  ideas  about  things 
to  the  new  ideas  which  they  learned  from  Him, 
but  the  new  ideas  always  seemed  truer  and  more 
real  than  the  old.  They  asked  themselves  more 
than  once  the  question,  Who  is  this  man  ?  Other 
people  were  asking  the  same  question.*  Now  no 
one  of  these  disciples  had  any  desire  to  do  mor^ 
than  answer  the  question  in  the  simplest  way  pos- 
sible. They  had  been  brought  up  to  be  very  care- 
ful of  that  word,  divine.  Jesus  was  an  unusual 
man :  but  that  didn't  explain  it  all.  Jesus  was  a 
prophet :  but  that  didn't  explain  everything  satis- 
factorily. One  day,  one  of  their  own  number 
gave  an  answer,  and  said  to  this  their  Leader, 

He  Is  God.  "Thou  art  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  Living  God." 
This  description  of  His  Person  was  endorsed  by 
the  Master  Himself.  The  more  the  disciples 
thought  of  it,  the  more  it  seemed  that  this  de- 
scription and  this  one  alone  would  meet  all  the 
facts  in  the  case.  And  the  most  wonderful  thing 
about  it  was,  that  this  position  did  not  seem  to 
upset  or  do  violence  to  their  belief  in  One  God. 

*  John   7  :    12, .  40,   41. 


Christ's  place  in  god  s  plan.  97 

The  world  now  speaks  of  this  great  truth  as  the 
Incarnation,  God  appearing  in  human  flesh  in  the 
Person  of  Jesus  Christ. 

The  Incarnation 

The  Incarnation  revealed  God;  it  completed 
and  perfected  the  work  which  the  prophets  had 
attempted  to  do.  ''God,  having  of  old  time 
spoken  unto  the  fathers  in  the  prophets  by  divers 
portions  and  in  divers  manners,  hath  at  the  end 
of  these  days  spoken  unto  us  in  a  Son"  (Heb. 
I :  I,  2).  Jesus  Christ  revealed  the  character  and 
will  of  God,  the  Father,  in  three  ways :  by  what 
He  was,  by  what  He  said,  and  by  what  He  did  ; 
that  is,  by  His  life,  by  His  words,  and  by  His 
works ;  that  is,  as  a  Person,  as  a  Teacher,  and  as 
a  Worker.  There  were  two  directions,  especi- 
ally, in  which  Jesus  Christ  made  a  perfect  revela- 
tion of  God  the  Father. 

(i)  He  revealed  the  holiness  of  God.  God  Jf^^HYnnfss.''^ 
had  sent  prophet  after  prophet  to  declare  to  men 
the  holiness  of  God.  But  no  one  had  yet  lived 
out,  in  actual  life,  that  holiness.  Man  after  man 
— prophet,  priest,  king — had  lived  and  died,  but 
they  had  all  lived  and  died  with  the  stain  of  sin 
upon  their  lives,  until  men  came  to  believe  that 
sin  was  a  necessary  evil,  and  so  they  began  to 
excuse  the  sin  of  their  own  lives.  Then  it  was 
that  God,  "sending  His  own  Son  in  the  likeness 
7 


98        god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

of  sinful  flesh  ....  condemned  sin  in  the 
flesh."  Christ  came.  He  Hved  as  a  boy  in  Naz- 
areth. It  was  not  a  town  with  any  good  reputa- 
tion. Christ  was  no  wealthy  lad,  whose  wealth 
would  cut  Him  off  from  other  lives  around  Him. 
He  was  a  carpenter  lad,  and  as  such  would  come 
into  touch  with  the  general  crowd  of  village  boys. 
Yet  He  kept  His  life  clean.  It  can  be  done.  He 
did  it.  He  grew  to  be  a  man.  His  work  took 
Him  among  the  lowest  and  most  degraded,  yet 
the  evil  of  their  lives  did  not  enter  His  soul.  He 
called  twelve  disciples  to  be  His  followers.  Of 
these,  one  was  a  miser;  another  had  a  tendency 
to  evil  language.  Yet  Christ's  life  was  not 
tainted.  So  pure  was  His  heart  that  He  could 
teach  men  by  example,  as  well  as  by  word  of 
mouth,  saying,  "Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart: 
for  they  shall  see  God.""  So  pure  were  His 
thoughts  that  He  could  carry  His  preaching  be- 
yond the  sphere  of  action  and  condemn  the  pas- 
sionate thoughts  of  men.  So  blameless  was  His 
life  that  He  could  challenge  His  enemies  saying, 
"Which  of  you  convicteth  Me  of  sin  ?" '  His 
enemies,  scanning  His  life  with  the  keen  eyes  of 
hatred,  could  not  fasten  upon  any  sin.  What 
John  said  was  true :  "We  beheld  His  glory,  glory 
as  of  the  only  begotten  from  the  Father."  ^  What 
Paul  said  was  true:  He  was  "the  image  of  the 

5  Matt.  5:8.  «  John  8  :   46.  ^  .John  1 :   4. 


Christ's  place  in  god's  plan. 


99 


invisible  God."'  What  He  Himself  said  was 
true :  "He  that  beholdeth  Me  beholdeth  Him  that 
sent  Me." ' 

(2)  Christ  also  revealed  the  love  of  God.  He  The  unveiiing 
loved  the  unloving.  It  is  an  easy  thing  to  merely  ° 
respond  to  love,  but  to  go  forth  with  love  for 
those  whose  hearts  were  yet  unloving,  was 
Christ's  way.  Men  did  not  seek  Him.  He  sought 
them,  and  finding  them  loved  them,  and  His 
love  smote  "the  chords  of  self,  that,  trembling 
into  music,  pass  from  sight."  Long  afterward, 
the  Apostle  John  wrote  of  what  Christ  had  taught 
him  about  God  at  this  point,  "Herein  is  love,  not 
that  we  loved  God,  but  that  He  loved  us." '" 

Christ  loved  the  unlovely  as  well  as  the  unlov- 
ing. It  is  said  that  Science  teaches  "the  survival 
of  the  fittest,"  but  that  Jesus  teaches  "the  salva- 
tion of  the  unfittest."  If  He  had  chosen  for  His 
followers,  the  cultured,  the  talented,  the  gener- 
ous, the  educated.  His  love  might  have  been  easily 
understood.  But  He  called  fishermen,  Galileans, 
men  of  little  education.  He  brought  one  most 
unlovely  character  into  the  inner  circle  of  His 
love,  to  give  him,  so  far  as  we  can  judge,  a 
chance,  the  best  possible  chance.  His  deeds  of 
mercy  lead  Him,  not  to  palaces  but  to  the  poor. 
The  loathsome  leper,  whom  others  would  not 
even  approach.  He  touched." 

'Col.  1:  15.  10  1  John  4:   9. 

"John  12:  45.  "Matt.  8:  3. 


100        GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 

Christ  loved  sinners.  There  is  nothing  which 
SO  cuts  men  off  from  others  as  moral  defilement. 
And  just  because  of  this,  the  Jews  of  Christ's 
time  were  only  able  to  emphasize  the  holiness  of 
God  at  the  expense  of  His  love.  Christ  revealed 
a  God  of  HoHness,  Who  is  also  a  God  of  Love. 
He,  the  blameless  One,  was  a  friend  of  publicans 
and  sinners.  And  the  love  His  life  revealed  has 
come  down  the  centuries  to  answer  the  doubts 
and  fears  of  sin-burdened  hearts: 

"So  vile  I  am,  how  dare  I  hope  to  stand 
In  the  pure  glory  of  that  holy  land? 
Before  the  whiteness  of  that  throne  appear? 
Yet  there  are  hands  stretched  out  to  draw  me  near. 
It  is  the  voice  of  Jesus  that  I  hear; 
His  are  the  hands  stretched  out  to  draw  me  near." 

If  more  can  be  said,  it  would  be  to  point  out 
that  Christ  even  loved  those  who  were  aliens  or 
enemies.  He  had  taught,  "Love  your  enemies, 
and  pray  for  them  that  persecute  you.""  But 
Christ  lived  the  truth  He  had  taught.  He  healed 
one  of  those  who  came  to  arrest  Him."  He  for- 
gave those  who  slew  Him." 
The  Perfect  Thus  was  it  that  Jesus  Christ,  God  Incarnate, 

performed  perfectly  the  office  of  prophet,  and 
gave  to  man  the  full  and  final  revelation  of  the 
Godhead.  This  part  of  God's  great  Plan  for 
World  Redemption  was  realized. 

"  Matt.  5  :  44.  ^s  Luke  22  :   50,  51.         "  Luke  23  :  34. 


CHRIST  S  PLACE  IN  GOD  S  PLAN.      lOI 

The  CruciUxion 

Jesus  Christ  understood  perfectly  that  the  pj-^esf^^^^^^ 
work  which  He  had  to  do,  went  further  than 
what  He  did  as  prophet  in  revealing  the  charac- 
ter and  will  of  God.  As  prophet  He  had  chiefly 
to  do  with  ignorance.  There  was  guilt  also  to  be 
dealt  with.  This  task  fell  to  the  priest,  offering 
up  sacrifice.  God's  Plan  for  World  Redemp- 
tion called  for  a  blameless  priest  and  for  a  per- 
fect sacrifice.  Christ  was  both  in  one.  He  of- 
fered Himself  up,  even  unto  death. 

His  death  was  not  accidental.  It  was  neces- 
sary. He  recognized  the  necessity  for  it  in  the 
Plan,  and  walked  toward  it  deliberately.  Even 
references  to  this  part  of  His  mission  caused  the 
multitudes  that  followed  Him  to  fall  away.'^ 
His  explicit  announcement  of  His  impending 
death  led  one  of  His  own  disciples  to  make  ob- 
jections." But  Christ  went  straight  on  in  the 
way  to  Calvary.  He  knew,  as  we  know  now, 
that  it  was  a  necessary  part  of  the  Plan.  He 
knew,  as  we  do  not,  just  how  necessary  it  was. 
He  measured  the  full  meaning  of  Sin,  as  He 
overcame  it  by  His  death.  We  can  only  stand  by 
and  wonder  at  it  all, — what  an  awful  thing  Sin 
must  be  when  it  makes  the  Son  of  God  suffer  so ! 
No,  we  can  do  more  than  wonder  at  it  all ;  we  can 

"John  6:  €0-66.  "Mark  8:  31-33. 


I02        GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 

receive  the  blessings  which  stream  from  this  Sac- 
rifice for  sin:  pardon,  peace,  a  new  sense  of  the 
heinousness  of  sin,  a  new  impulse  of  love  for 
Him  Who  so  loved  us.  Yes,  and  we  can  do  more 
than  receive;  we  can  impart  the  good  news  and 
its  power  to  others. 

What  needed  to  be  done  then,  was  done  by 
Christ.  Dr.  G.  Campbell  Morgan  sets  forth  the 
significance  of  Christ's  priestly  work  by  referring 
to  the  Old  Testament  ritual  which  foreshadowed 
it: 

Symbolism  of  "(i)  The  outer  court  was  the  place  of  service  and 
e  anc  uary.  g^^^j-i^^^g  'pj^g  greater  part  of  Mark's  Gospel  has  to 
do  with  that  outer  court.  There  He  perfected  service 
in  the  dedication  of  His  life;  and  consummated  sacri- 
fice in  the  mystery  of  His  consent  to  death  in  Geth- 
semane.  The  actually  atoning  death  was  accomplished, 
without  the  camp,  where  He  went,  bearing  'our  sins  in 
His  own  body  ©n  the  tree.' 

"(2)  The  holy  place  contained  the  table  of  shew- 
bread,  the  seven-branched  lamp,  and  the  altar  of  in- 
cense. The  dedication  of  the  outer  court  being  com- 
pleted by  the  final  sin  offering  beyond  the  court  in  the 
place  of  excommunication,  the  Priest  turned  back,  and 
by  the  way  of  resurrection  He  entered  the  holy  place; 
and  for  a  little  I  see  Him,  the  risen  but  not  ascended 
Lord,  tarrying  among  His  people:  in  the  place  of  the 
candlestick,  of  light  and  testimony;  of  the  table  of 
shewbread,  of  communion  and  fellowship;  of  the  holy 
altar  of  incense,  of  prevailing  intercession. 

"(3)  Then  the  High  Priest  by  ascension  entered  the 
holy  of  holies,  'there  to  appear  in  the  presence  of  Gad 


King. 


Christ's  place  in  god's  plan.  103 

for  us;'  and  the  final  note  is  that  of  His  co-operation 
with  His  own,  when  it  is  said  that  they  went  every- 
where preaching  and  working,  'the  Lord  working  with 
them.'  As  He  passed  in  through  the  rent  veil.  He  left 
the  way  open,  and  all  those  of  us  who  share  His  life 
have  access  where  He  is,  and  that  is  the  true  place  of 
our  worship. 

"At  last  the  true  Priest  is  found,  and  there  is  need 
for  no  other;  but  there  is  no  other  way  of  approach  to 
God  save  through  His  mediation." 

The  King  and  the  Kingdom 

On  the  very  day  of  His  fulfilment  of  the  su-  The  Perfect 
preme  act  of  His  priestly  commission,  Christ  re- 
ferred in  unmistakable  terms  to  another  office 
which  He  held:  "And  Pilate  asked  Him,  Art 
Thou  the  King  of  the  Jews  ?  And  He  answering 
saith  unto  him,  Thou  sayest"  (Mark  15 :  2).  And 
so,  a  little  later,  Pilate  placed  over  His  cross  the 
inscription  "The  King  of  the  Jews."  The  ques- 
tion that  was  asked  at  His  birth  was,  "Where  is 
He  that  is  born  King  of  the  Jews?"  Between 
Christ's  birth  and  His  death  is  to  be  found  a  suc- 
cession of  utterances  in  which  Christ's  claims  to 
Kingship  are  asserted.  It  is  a  great  study  and 
one  which  calls  for  an  altogether  separate  treat- 
ment, to  examine  into  Christ's  teachings  on  this 
subject.  Only  a  few  outstanding  features  of 
Christ's  teachings  on  this  point  can  be  referred  to. 

There  is  no   doubt  about  the  reality  of  the 


I04        GOD^S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 

A  Real  King-    Kinsfdom  to  whicli  Christ  refers.     This  was  no 

dom. 

mere  figure  of  speech.  As  truly  as  He  was  mak- 
ing atonement  for  sin,  just  so  truly  was  He 
founding  a  Kingdom.  It  was  not  a  material 
kingdom,"  but  it  was  a  real  Kingdom  for  all 
that.  It  might  have  no  resemblance  to  what  or- 
dinarily went  by  that  word,'*  but  in  spite  of  that 
it  was  a  real  thing.  Those  who  were  brought 
into  that  Kingdom  might  be  slow  in  realizing 
what  it  was,  but  that  did  not  destroy  the  reality 
of  it,  any  more  than  a  new-born  babe's  inability 
to  grasp  the  fact  of  the  material  world  into 
which  it  had  been  born,  would  alter  the  reality  of 
that  world. 

The  Kingdom  has  been  thought  by  some  to  be 
portrayed  as  only  in  the  future ; "  by  others,  as 
wholly  in  the  present.^  A  better  view  may  be 
that  it  is  both^  present  and  future.  Its  present 
existence  does  not  possess  all  those  characteris- 
tics of  glory  which  its  future  realization  will  pos- 
sess. None  the  less  is  the  Kingdom  a  present 
reality. 

The  Kingdom  is  a  spiritual  Kingdom.'^    It  is 
associated  with  certain  spiritual  changes  '^  which 
its  members  have  experienced,  and  certain  spir- 
it john  18:  36.  «Matt.  13:   37-43. 
18  Matt.  5:  3-10.  22  Luke  17:   21. 
"  Matt.   16  :   27,   28.  "  John  3  :   5. 
»Matt.   13:   24,   31,   33. 


CHRIST  S  PLACE  IN  GOD  S  PLAN.      IO5 

itual  relations  which  they  sustain  toward  God** 
and  toward  each  other  "  and  toward  the  world/" 

The  Kingdom  is  vitally,  inseparably  connected 
with  the  Person  of  Christf  who  is  King  of  the 
Kingdom.  There  is  no  Kingdom  apart  from  the 
King.  He  does  not  come  to  be  enthroned  over  a 
kingdom.  He  comes  to  found  the  Kingdom,  to 
create  it,  by  bringing  men  into  relations  with 
Himself. 

The  glory  of  the  Kingdom  is  to  be  revealed 
at  some  future  day,  when  the  King  returns  in 
glory.^  Meanwhile,  it  has  its  stages'"  of  pro- 
gress and  of  extension,  but  the  full  realization  of 
it  belongs  to  the  future  period  which  we  have 
called  God's  Great  Next  in  the  unfolding  of  the 
divine  Plan. 

The  Gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit 

One  more  provision  for  world  redemption  was  pe  Gift  of 

^  ^  Power. 

made  during  this  Period  of  Realization.  Not 
only  did  Christ  bring  the  perfect  revelation  of 
God ;  not  only  did  He  make  the  perfect  sacrifice 
for  sin;  not  only  did  He  lay  the  foundations  of 
the  ideal  Kingdom ;  but  the  Holy  Spirit  was  also 
given.  Here  the  unfolding  of  the  divine  Plan 
outreached,  in  the  most  conspicuous  way  of  all, 

=*Matt.  7:  21.  «t  john  5:  21,  22;  14:  6. 

»Matt.    20:    25-28.  2s  ^latt.  24:  30,  31. 

«'Jolin  17:   14.   15.  29  ^att.  24:  6. 


io6      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

all  the  anticipations  of  man.  There  had  been 
clear  and  definite  prophecies  concerning  the  gift 
of  the  Spirit  in  the  Old  Testament,""  but,  after  all, 
expectation  was  focussed  upon  the  coming  Mes- 
siah. This  was  a  correct  unfolding  of  God's 
Plan,  for  the  Messiah  was  to  come  first,  and  only 
His  coming  and  sacrifice  made  it  possible  for  the 

AbidS.  ^"^  ^^^y  Spirit  to  be  given."    In  this  sense  the  Holy 

Spirit  was  the  Gift  of  Christ,^'  and,  furthermore, 
after  He  was  given  at  Pentecost  never  to  be  with- 
drawn, He  is  still  represented  as  being  given  to 
the  individual  on  the  basis  of  his  relation  to  the 
sacrificial  work  of  Christ.^'  The  gift  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  then  a  part  of  the  believer's  inheritance 
in  Christ.  If  he  is  saved  at  all,  if  Christ  has 
made  any  provision  of  pardon  for  him.  He  has 
equally  made  provision  of  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  for  him.  There  is  nothing  to  do  but  to 
claim  by  faith  the  gift  of  the  indwelling  and  in- 
filling Spirit,"*  just  as  forgiveness  is  appropriated 
by  faith. 

Christ's  Agent.  But  why  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  un- 
folding of  the  divine  Plan  of  World  Redemption  ? 
Was  not  the  work  of  Jesus  Christ  Himself  suf- 
ficient? Did  He  not  lay  the  basis  for  world  re- 
demption adequately?  Yes,  but  the  Holy  Spirit 
was  given  as  the  Great  Divine  Agent  for  the 


«>  Joel  2  :  28-29. 

33  Acts  2: 

;   28, 

"John  16:  7. 

3*  Gal.  3: 

14. 

"John  14:  26;  15: 

26. 

CHRIST  S  PLACE  IN  GOD  S  PLAN.      10/ 

next  period,  the  Period  of  Application.  He  is  to 
apply  to  human  life  the  work  which  Christ  re- 
alized. 

So  the  Holy  Spirit  reveals  Christ  to  men.  The  He  Reveals, 
disciples,  for  example,  did  not  apprehend  at  all 
adequately  the  deity  of  this  Jesus  with  whom 
they  had  been  having  fellowship,  until  the  Holy 
Spirit  was  given.  They  were  slow  to  apprehend 
truth,^"  even  when  the  Master  sought  to  teach 
them  in  His  own  patient  and  simple  way.  What 
hope  that  they  would  ever  learn  after  He  was 
gone?  This  hope:  "He,  the  Spirit  of  truth  .  . 
shall  guide  you  into  all  truth"  (John  15:  12-14). 

The  Holy  Spirit  also  applies  to  men  the  aton-  ^^^^^^  Atone- 
ing  work  of  Jesus  Christ.    He  applies  the  sacri- 
fice of  Christ,  in  its  redeeming  power,^^  in  its 
cleansing  power,"  in  its  gifts  of  fellowship  with 
God." 

The  Holy  Spirit  also  applies  to  men  the  King-  g^o^ns  Christ 
ship  of  Christ.  It  is  through  the  Holy  Spirit 
that  the  rebellious  will  and  the  evil  imagination 
and  the  lawless  appetite,  are  brought  into  sub- 
jection to  Christ  the  King.^'  So,  too,  on  the  posi- 
tive side  of  life,  it  is  through  the  Holy  Spirit  that 
Christ  leads  His  followers  forth  to  world  con- 
quest,  girding   them    with    strength,    illumining 

s«John  14:  9,  26.  sMlom.   8:   12-14. 

s«Rom.   8:   1-4.  s«  Rom.   8:   15-17. 

8»  Rom.  8  :  7-9  ;  2  Cor.  10  :  4,  5  ;  Eph.  5  :  18. 


io8      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

their  minds,  baptizing  them  with  courage  and 
even  with  superhuman  power.*" 

Thus  it  is  that,  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  Jesus  Christ 
projects  His  life  and  work  beyond  the  limits  of 
His  brief  career  upon  the  earth  and  fulfils  the 
promise,  "Lo,  I  am  with  you  always,  even  unto 
the  end  of  the  world." 

The  Missionary  Test 

The  question  now  comes  up,  Is  this  Gospel 
the^^woridV^  which  Christ  realized,  for  all  the  world,  or  is  it 
not?  It  is  well  to  answer  the  question,  for  there 
are  those  who  say,  "Christianity  was  never  meant 
to  be  a  world  religion.  On  the  contrary,  Confu- 
cianism is  good  for  the  Chinese;  Hinduism  is 
suited  to  the  temperament  of  the  people  of  In- 
dia ;  Mohammedanism  quite  fits  the  Arab ;  and 
paganism  is  possibly  best  for  the  African."  Pass 
by,  for  the  time,  the  weakness  of  a  position  which 
so  completely  overlooks  the  great  evils  iwith 
which  non-Christian  religions  are  seamed,  that 
it  almost  seems  like  saying  that  "consumption  is 
good  for  a  consumptive."  Let  us  ask  with  seri- 
ousness the  question,  Is  Christianity  meant  for 
all  the  world?  The  question  may  be  asked  in  this 
chapter  because  we  are  dealing  with  Christ  and 
His  work.  The  question  may  be  asked  of 
Him    as    it    could    not    be    asked    of    Abra- 


«  I  Cor.  2:4;  Matt.  10 :  19  ;  Acts  4 :  29-31. 


Christ's  place  in  god's  plan.  109 

ham  or  David  or  even  Isaiah,  however  good  and 
clear  their  answers  might  be.  Their  replies 
would  not  be  final ;  they  were  channels  of  a  par- 
tial revelation ;  it  might  be  said  that  they  did  not 
know."  But  Christ's  answer  is  final.  He  was 
the  Word  of  God.  Furthermore,  this  Christian 
religion  derives  all  its  content  from  Him.  He 
came  to  earth  to  realize,  what  a  later  period  was 
to  apply.  Did  Christ  lay  the  foundation  for  a 
world  religion?  If  He  didn't,  there  is  nothing  to 
build  on.  The  Period  of  Application  can  only 
apply  what  the  Period  of  Realization  has  real- 
ized."* 

The  question  might  be  answered  by  calling  at-  |^f^^J^f ^^^® 
tention  to  the  spiritual  character  of  the  religion 
of  Jesus  Christ.  The  spiritual  character  of  our 
Christian  religion  would  thus  prove  it  to  be  a 
universal  religion,  for  that  which  is  purely  spir- 
itual is  always  capable  of  world-wide  reach.  As 
a  thoughtful  writer  has  said:  "When  religion  is 
thus  carried  back  to  its  deepest  center,  to  the  fel- 
lowship of  man  in  his  heart  with  God,  the  separ- 
ating limits  of  national  religions  fall  away  as 
meaningless ;  the  most  inward  experience  of  what 
truly  belongs  to  man  can  no  longer  be  a  privilege 
of  one  people  above  the  others — it  must  become 
a  thing  of  the  whole  of  mankind."  And  another 
writer  has  built  up  a  strong  argument  on  the  su- 

"  Eph.  3:5.  *^  See  pages  30-31. 


no      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

preme  place  which  faith  holds  in  the  Christian 
religion  as  a  condition  of  salvation.  This  quality 
or  act,  he  says,  is  ''so  centrally  founded  in  human 
nature  that  all  men  of  all  races,  and  all  forms 
and  degrees  of  intelligence  and  civilization  are 
capable  of  it."  "^ 
Jf^'sco^r^^^  Another  way  of  answering  the  question  would 
be  by  pointing  out  how  frequently  in  word  and 
experience,  Jesus  Christ  went  beyond  the  limits 
of  His  omn  race  and  nation.  He  does  not  say, 
"I  am  the  Light  of  the  Jews,"  but  "I  am  the 
Light  of  the  World"  (John  8:  12).  "When  I 
am  in  the  world,"  He  adds,  ''I  am  the  Light  of 
the  World"  (John  9:5).  His  whole  Hfe  seems 
to  have  been  lived  in  a  world  horizon.  His  temp- 
tations were  in  that  sphere:  "The  devil  taketh 
Him  imto  an  exceeding  high  mountain,  and 
showeth  him  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world" 
(Matt.  4:8).  His  visions  were  world  visions: 
"I  say  unto  you,  that  many  shall  come  from  the 
east  and  the  west,  and  shall  sit  down  with  Abra- 
ham, and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven"  (Matt.  8:  11).  His  Gospel  was  to  be  a 
world  Gospel:  "This  Gospel  of  the  Kingdom 
shall  be  preached  in  the  whole  world"  (Matt.  24: 
14).  He  therefore  bade  His  disciples  to  live,  as 
He  did,  in  a  world  horizon.  "The  field,"  said 
He,  "is  the  world"  (Matt.  13:  38).   Hie  expected 

*3W.   D.   Mackenzie's   "The  Pinal   Faith,"   page  193. 


CHRIST  S  PLACE  IN  GODS  PLAN.  Ill 

they  would  experience  world-wide  persecution  in 
the  fulfilment  of  their  commission,  and  so  He 
said,  "Before  governors  and  kings  shall  ye  be 
brought  for  My  sake,  for  a  testimony  to  them 
and  to  the  Gentiles"  (Matt.  lo:  i8).  In  the 
background  of  His  prayer  life  was  this  world 
passion:  "that  the  world  may  believe"  (John  17: 

21). 

More  significant  than  these  scattered  mentions 
of  a  world  purpose  in  His  incarnation,  are  the 
titles  He  assumed.  How  easy  and  how  honor- 
able to  have  accepted  the  title  "Son  of  David" 
or  "Messiah,"  which  some  were  ready  to  give 
to  Him."  But  there  was  danger  of  narrovv^ness 
of  vision  in  it.  Men  might  make  it  refer  solely 
to  Jewish  religious  expectations.  So  He  took  the 
title  "Son  of  Man,"  which  not  only  relates  Him 
to  humanity  in  general,  but  lifts  Him  to  a  posi- 
tion of  lofty  power  where  all  race  and  class  dis- 
tinctions are  forever  lost." 

A  Threefold  Test 

To  determine  whether  Christianity,  as  founded 
by  Jesus  Christ,  is  a  world  religion,  let  us  ex- 
amine three  leading  conceptions  of  this  Christian 
faith. 


«John  1:   41. 

«Matt.  8:  20;  9:  6;  10:  23;  13:  41. 


112        GODS  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 

^God?^'^^  °'  ^'  ^^^'  There  is  in  Christianity  a  concep- 
tion of  God.  What  sort  of  a  God  does  the  Chris- 
tian beHeve  in  ?  The  African  has  a  conception  of  a 
god;  he  has  a  god  for  the  lake  and  another  god 
for  the  river,  a  god  for  the  plain  and  another  god 
for  the  mountain,  a  god  for  the  down-country  and 
another  god  for  the  up-country.  Is  that  the  Chris- 
tian's God — only  with  a  little  better  and  vaster 
knowledge  of  geography,  so  that  he,  too,  has  a 
god  for  the  West  and  a  god  for  the  East.  "No !" 
comes  the  answer.  ''Our  God  is  a  World  God." 
Is  that  so?  Do  we  realize  the  price  which  must 
be  paid  for  such  a  faith?  Do  we  believe  in  a 
World  God :  we  must  give  Him  to  all  the  world, 
or  we  lose  this  noblest  conception  of  our  Chris- 
tian faith.  The  Christian  conception  of  God 
drives  the  Church  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  in  a 
great  missionary  movement. 

riavi^r?*^  °^  2-  Christ.  In  Christianity  there  is  also  the 
conception  of  Christ  as  a  Savior.  How  great  a 
Savior  is  He?  It  is  estimated  that  to-day  about 
one-fifth"  of  the  human  race  has  accepted  the 
Christian  religion.  Suppose  that  the  other  four- 
fifths  of  the  human  race  were  to  receive  Christi- 
anity: would  Jesus  Christ  need  to  come  all  the 
weary  way  from  Heaven  to  Calvary  to  die  again 
for  these  others?  "No!"  comes  the  answer.  "It 
was  an  old  time  preacher  who  gave  us  his  in- 

*'  Some  say,  one  third. 


CHRIST  S  PLACE  IN  GOD  S  PLAN.      II3 

spired  testimony  that  Jesus  Christ  is  'the  propi- 
tiation for  our  sins;  and  not  for  ours  only,  but 
also  for  the  whole  world'."  "  Is  that  our  faith  ? 
Then  we  owe  it  to  Him,  if  we  do  not  owe  it  to  the 
world,  to  carry  Him  to  ''the  whole  world"  and 
give  Him  a  chance  to  extend  His  saving  power, 
until  He  "see  of  the  travail  of  His  soul  and  shall 
be  satisfied." 

3.  The  Holy  Spirit.  This  is  a  part  of  the  Real  Faith. 
Apostles'  Creed:  'T  beHeve  in  the  Holy  Ghost." 
Do  we  believe  in  the  Holy  Spirit?  How  much 
do  we  believe  in  Him  ?  The  faith  of  a  Church  in 
the  Holy  Spirit  is  open  to  question  unless  that 
Church  be  a  missionary  Church.  Let  us  illus- 
trate our  meaning. 

Imagine  a  visitor  going  through  the  Baldwin 
Locomotive  Works,  the  largest  locomotive  works 
in  our  land.  The  guide  stops  and,  pointing  to  an 
immense  engine  of  the  most  modern  construction, 
he  says:  "There  is  the  finest  piece  of  machinery 
for  pulling  that  there  is  in  the  world.  And  I 
will  now  prove  it  to  you."  Imagine  him  going 
aside  and  getting  an  express-wagon,  one  of  these 
little  express-wagons  that  the  children  play  with. 
He  attaches  that  to  the  engine  and  it  pulls  it. 
Will  the  visitor  have  any  adequate  conception  of 
the  power  of  that  locomotive?  Rather  let  the 
train  of  cars  be  brought — a  great  train  of  mas- 

*'  I  John  2:2.  ..     , 

S 


114     god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

sive  steel  freight  cars,  loaded  with  freight.  Let 
the  locomotive  be  attached  to  that  load;  let  it 
pull  that,  and  then  its  power  will  be  revealed. 

When  we  relate  our  petty  lives  alone  to  the 
uplifting  influences  of  the  Hbly  Spirit,  we  do 
not  know  His  power.  Let  us  bring  the  great 
train  of  cars, — great  national  cars,  continental 
cars,  freighted  with  a  world's  need :  America,  to 
be  sure,  with  her  100,000,000  souls,  but  Africa, 
too,  with  her  150,000,000  souls,  and  India  with 
her  300,000,000,  and  China  with  her  440,000,000. 
Let  us  relate  that  burden  of  sin  and  need  and 
woe  to  the  uplifting  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
And  when  we  see  Him  lift  that  load  in  world  re- 
demption, we  will  know  how  to  believe  in  the 
Holy  Spirit. 
iigiwi°^^^  ^®"  Instead  of  not  being  a  world  religion,  the  fun- 
damental beliefs  of  Christianity  are  such  that  the 
essence  of  our  faith  is  lost  when  Christianity  is 
reduced  to  lower  terms  than  those  of  a  world  re- 
ligion. 


CHAPTER  V 


World  Evangelization 


"All  through  life  I  see  a  Cross, 
Where  sons  of  God  yield  up  their  breath : 
There  is  no  gain  except  by  loss, 
There  is  no  life  except  by  death.*' 

—W.  C.  Smith. 

"Sometimes  men  write  as  if  the  universalism  of  a 
religion,  the  quality  which  makes  it  a  missionary 
religion,  were  accidental,  dependent  perhaps  upon  some 
words  of  its  founder  or  some  phase  of  thought  among 
his  followers.  But  such  a  view  of  the  matter  is,  at 
least,  inadequate.  A  religion  becomes  a  missionary 
religion,  it  attracts  believers  of  various  races,  it  drives 
its  preachers  forth  to  various  climes,  because  it  contains 
certain  doctrines,  it  deals  with  certain  facts,  it  aims  at 
certain  results  in  which  all  men  are  believed  to  be 
deeply  concerned." — W.  Douglas  Mackenzie. 

"Fear  not,  we  cannot  fail; 
The  vision  must  prevail; 
Truth  is  the  oath  of  God,  and  sure  and  fast. 
Through  death  and  hell,  holds  onward  to  the  last." 


WORLD   EVANGELIZATION 

HOW  rapid  has  been  the  unfolding  of  the 
divine  Plan  for  World  Redemption  in 
the  Period  of  Realization  which  we 
have  been  considering.  That  was  be- 
cause God  had  a  perfect  instrument  through 
which  to  work,  His  Son.  And  He  worked 
alone.  The  great  events  connected  with  the  re- 
alization of  Redemption  follow  therefore  in  na- 
tural and  regular  and  rapid  succession. 

The  Incarnation,  when  in  the  fulness  of  the 
time  ''God  sent  forth  His  Son,  born  of  a  woman, 
born  under  the  law." 

Then,  the  CriicHixion,  when  "in  due  season, 
Christ  died  for  the  ungodly." 

Again,  the  Resurrection,  wherein  "this  Jesus 
did  God  raise  up,  whereof  we  all  are  witnesses," 
as  Peter  said  on  the  day  of  Pentecost. 

Then,  the  Ascension,  whereby  Jesus  "was 
taken  up;  and  a  cloud  received  him  out  of  their 
sight." 

Finally,  Pentecost,  when  "suddenly  there  came 
from  heaven  a  sound  as  of  the  rushing  of  a 
mighty    wind     ....     and    there    appeared 

117 


ii8      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 


What  Next? 


What    it 
Means. 


unto  them  tongues  parting  asunder,  like  as  of 
fire." 

How  wonderful  it  all  was :  the  Incarnation,  the 
Crucifixion,  the  Resurrection,  the  Ascension,  and 
Pentecost !  And  now,  zv'hat  is  next?  Yes,  what 
comes  next? 

How  curious  the  disciples  were  to  know !  And 
they  came  and  spread  before  their  Lord  their 
crude  Jewish  hopes,  and  said,  ''Lord,  dost  Thou 
at  this  time  restore  the  kingdom  to  Israel  ?"  And 
our  age,  too,  is  curious,  though  we  think  we  are 
not  quite  so  crude;  and  we  spread  before  our 
Lord  our  hopes,  millennial  hopes — pre-millennial 
hopes  and  post-millennial  hopes,  both  kinds, — 
and  using  a  fine  phrase  of  Paul's  we  say,  "Dost 
Thou  at  this  time  'sum  up  all  things  in  Christ'  ?  " 
And  our  Lord  brushes  aside  these  questions  as 
He  says,  "No,  that  is  not  next.  Do  you  wish  to 
know  what  lies  next  in  the  unfolding  of  the  Plan 
for  World  Redemption?  I  will  tell  you:  Go  ye 
into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  the 
whole  creation.    Evangelization  is  next." 

What  does  this  mean  ?  It  means  that  the  Great 
Commission  is  not  merely  a  command  of  Christ. 
It  is  not  merely  a  great  command  of  Christ.  It  is 
not  merely  the  greatest  command  of  Christ.  It  is 
an  announcement  by  the  Son  of  God  of  that 
zMch  comes  next  in  the  unfolding  of  the  divine 
Program  for  World  Redemption.     It  is  the  ush- 


WORLD  EVANGELIZATION.  II9 

ering  in  of  the  third  great  period, — the  Period  of 
AppHcation. 

Ideal  Fulfilment 

There  are  two  ways,  however,  of  interpreting  Ye5-s^^^^°^  °^ 
the  Great  Commission  of  Christ.  One  is  to  say, 
*'Yes,  we  are  now  in  the  Period  of  AppHcation 
when  the  Gospel  is  to  be  carried  to  all  the 
world.  Some  nineteen  hundred  years  of  this  pe- 
riod have  already  elapsed.  Some  day  the  end 
of  this  period  will  come,  and  we  will  then  pass  on 
to  whatever  else  there  is  in  the  Plan  of  God." 
This  makes  God's  Plan  rest  altogether  upon  the 
element  of  Time,  as  if  the  chief  need  were  to  wait 
for  a  prescribed  number  of  years  to  elapse,  in- 
stead of  making  God's  Plan  rest  rather  upon  our 
fulfilment  of  certain  conditions.  Such  a  view  is 
tinged  with  fatalism.  It  induces  inertia  by  say- 
ing, "God's  time  has  not  yet  come,"  instead  of 
saying  in  true  apostolic  fashion,  ''Now  is  the  ac-. 
cepted  time ;  behold  now  is  the  day  of  salvation !" 

The  other  view  is  one  which  takes  the  words  of  a  Question  of 

X         1    <•  ,1  ,     f      1  1  .  TT-      Conditions. 

our  Lord  literally,  and  declares  that  it  was  His 
Plan  that  they  should  hasten  to  evangelize  the 
whole  world  of  their  day.  The  fact  that  it  was 
not  done  would  not  disprove  that  it  was  His  Plan, 
any  more  than  the  fact  that  men  do  not  keep  the 
Moral  Law  would  disprove  that  the  Moral  Law 
is  the  will  and  plan  of  God  for  man's  conduct. 


120        GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 


He  Meant  It. 


They  so  Under- 
stood It. 


The  Plan  of  God  is  not  to  be  discovered 
by  looking  at  human  history.  The  Plan  is 
to  be  discovered  in  the  Book.  No  matter  how 
daring,  how  ideal  this  view  may  seem  at  first 
sight,  are  there  not  reasons  for  believing  that  it 
was  Christ's  Plan? 

First,  zvas  this  not  the  evident  meaning  of 
Christ's  command f  Did  He  not  say,  "Go  ye  into 
all  the  world  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  whole 
creation,"  and  again,  "Ye  shall  be  My  witnesses 
both  in  Jerusalem  and  in  all  Judea  and  Samaria, 
and  unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth."  Hu- 
man language  is  not  so  clumsy  and  rigid  that  it 
should  not  be  capable  of  conveying  adequately 
human  thought.  Our  Lord  was  surely  master  of 
the  language  of  His  day.  When  He  says,  "Go," 
shall  we  interpret  His  meaning  "Stay"?  Does 
"Ye"  mean,  "Not  you,  but  your  descendants  of 
the  next  two  millenniums?"  Does  "All  the 
world"  means  "One-fifth  of  the  world"?  Does 
"Preach  the  Gospel"  mean  "Enjoy  the  Gospel"? 
If  Christ  meant  to  qualify  His  statements,  could 
He  not  have  done  so  ?  If  He  did  not  mean  what 
He  said,  why  should  He  not  have  said  what  He 
did  mean  ? 

Further,  was  it  not  the  actual  understanding  of 
the  disciples  that  their  Lord's  command  laid  upon 
them  this  obligation  f  We  do  not  say  that  this  ob- 
ligation was  universally  discharged.    It  was  not. 


WORLD  EVANGELIZATION.  121 

But  it  was  an  obligation  recognized  by  the 
leaders  of  the  Church  and  discharged  by  the  ma- 
jority of  the  Church's  members.  In  the  mission- 
ary activity  of  the  early  Church,  we  have  one  of 
the  strongest  arguments  for  missions  to  be  found 
anywhere.  One  of  the  greatest  authorities  on  the 
history  of  the  early  Church  says,  "It  was  not 
merely  the  confessors  and  martyrs  who  were  mis- 
sionaries. It  was  characteristic  of  this  religion 
that  every  one  who  seriously  confessed  the  faith, 
proved  of  service  to  its  propaganda."  And  of  the 
rapid  spread  of  Christianity,  he  gives  this  sum- 
mary, "Seventy  years  after  the  foundation  of  the 
very  first  Gentile  Christian  Church  in  Syrian  An- 
tioch,  Pliny  wrote  in  the  strongest  terms  about 
the  spread  of  Christianity  throughout  remote  Bi- 
thynia,  a  spread  which  in  his  view  already  threat- 
ened the  stability  of  other  cults  throughout  the 
province.  Seventy  years  later  still,  the  paschal 
controversy  reveals  the  existence  of  a  Christian 
federation  of  churches,  stretching  from  Lyons 
to  Edessa,  with  its  headquarters  situated  at 
Rome.  Seventy  years  later,  again,  the  emperor 
Decius  declared  he  would  sooner  have  a  rival 
emperor  in  Rome  than  a  Christian  bishop.  And 
ere  another  seventy  years  had  passed,  the  cross 
was  sewed  upon  the  Roman  colors."  This  spread 
of  Christianity  was  not  accidental.  If  miracu- 
lous, yet  was  it  based  on  human  agency.     The 


122        god's  plan  for  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 


It  Needed   to 
be  Done. 


Is  it  Impos- 
sible? 


missionary  zeal  which  brought  it  about,  had  its 
anchorage  in  the  understanding  which  the  early 
disciples  had  of  their  Lord's  command. 

Again,  was  not  such  speedy  evangelisation 
logically — theologically,  if  you  please — required, 
to  make  effective  Christ's  work  of  atonement 
im- ought  out  upon  Calvary?  The  atonement  of 
Christ  does  not  work  automatically.  To  become 
effective  in  individual  salvation,  it  must  be  be- 
lieved; therefore  must  it  be  heard;  therefore 
must  it  be  preached.  Immediate  and  complete 
world  evangelization  was  necessary,  unless  the 
greater  portion  of  the  human  race  were  to  be 
deliberately  excluded  from  redemption.  If 
Christ's  heart  yearned  for  the  salvation  of  the 
world  of  His  own  day,  His  command  must  have 
been  intended  to  urge  upon  His  disciples  the  an- 
nouncement of  His  Gospel  to  that  world.  What 
was  logically  necessary  must  have  been  also  com- 
manded. 

Once  more,  is  Christ's  Flan  according  to  this 
viezv  so  impossible  f  In  his  book,  "The  Key  to  the 
Missionary  Problem,"  Andrew  Murray  speaks  of 
a  mathematical  diagram  that  was  worked  out 
based  on  the  supposition  that  there  were  in  the 
world  to-day  just  one  Christian,  just  one;  that 
this  Christian  was  a  true  Christian,  that  is,  a 
missionary  Christian ;  that  he  lived  and  worked  a 
whole  year  dominated  by  a  missionary  passion ; 


WORLD  EVANGELIZATION.  1 23 

that  at  the  end  of  a  whole  year  this  man  suc- 
ceeded in  bringing  to  Christ  one  other  soul.  At 
the  end  of  the  first  year  there  would  be  two 
Christians.  Then  imagine  each  man  going  out 
the  second  year  dominated  by  that  missionary 
purpose,  and  each  man  bringing  another  to 
Christ.  At  the  end  of  the  second  year  there 
would  be  four.  Now,  keeping  up  this  law  of  rea- 
sonable progress,  how  long  do  you  imagine  it 
would  be  before  the  world  would  be  brought  to 
Christ? 

At  the  end  of  i  year 2 

At  the  end  of    2  years 4 

At  the  end  of    3  years S 

At  the  end  of    4  years 16 

At  the  end  of    5  years 32 

At  the  end  of    6  years 64 

At  the  end  of    7  years 128 

At  the  end  of    8  years 256 

At  the  end  of    9  years 512 

At  the  end  of  10  years 1*024 

At  the  end  of  11  years 2,048 

At  the  end  of  12  years 4>096 

At  the  end  of  13  years 8,192 

At  the  end  of  14  years 16,384 

At  the  end  of  15  years 32,768 

At  the  end  of  16  years 65,536 

At  the  end  of  17  years 131,072 

At  the  end  of  18  years 262,144 

At  the  end  of  19  years 524,288 

At  the  end  of  20  years 1,048,576 

At  the  end  of  21  years 2,097,152 


124        GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 

At  the  end  of  22  years 4,194,304 

At  the  end  of  23  years 8,388,608 

At  the  end  of  24  years 16,777,216 

At  the  end  of  25  years 33>554432 

At  the  end  of  26  years 67,i©8,864 

At  the  end  of  2^  years 134,217,728 

At  the  end  of  28  years 268,635,456 

At  the  end  of  29  years 5375270j9I2 

At  the  end  of  30  years 1,074,541,824 

At  the  end  of  31  years 2,149,083,648 

Between  thirty  and  thirty-one  years,  even  in 
our  day  when  the  earth's  population  is  supposed 
to  be  so  much  larger  than  in  the  days  of  Christ ! 
What  seems  so  possible,  on  the  basis  of  ordinary 
faithfulness,  may  we  not  believe  that  Christ  com- 
manded? 
They  Nearly  Still  again,  did  not  the  disciples  of  the  first 
three  centuries  come  near  to  doing  this  very 
thing?  They  almost  fulfilled  their  Lord's  com- 
mand to  disciple  all  nations.  We  are  quite  fa- 
miliar with  the  spread  of  Christianity  northward 
and  westward  chiefly  through  the  missionary  la- 
bors of  Paul.  The  Epistles  and  the  Book  of  Acts 
acquaint  us  with  that  movement.  But  we  are 
prone  to  forget  that  this  was  only  one  of  the  sev- 
eral missionary  movements  characterizing  that 
first  century.  While  Paul  was  laboring  at  Anti- 
och,  the  Christian  religion  was  establishing  itself 
at  Alexandria.  It  spread  up  the  Nile,  to  the  First 
Cataract,  past  the  First  Cataract  into  Nubia  of  to- 


WORLD  EVANGELIZATION.  I25 

day,  past  the  Second  Cataract  into  what  is  now 
the  Egyptian  Sudan.  It  spread  over  into  Abys- 
sinia and  established  a  Christian  kingdom  there. 
The  full  results  of  the  extension  of  Christianity 
into  these  parts  are  not  matters  of  historical  re- 
cord until  a  later  century,  when  they  burst  into 
view  fully  matured,  but  their  beginnings  belong 
clearly  to  the  very  earliest  times. 

Nor  was  this  all,  for  another  movement  fol-  into  Africa, 
lowed  the  northern  coast  of  Africa  westward  and 
carried  the  Gospel  to  the  "pillars  of  Hercules," 
possessing  the  northern  seaboard  of  Africa  in  the 
name  of  Christ. 

Still  other  movements  went  eastward  through  i^to  India. 
Persia,  and  at  least  as  far  as  India.  In  his  re- 
cent work,  "A  History  of  Missions  in  India," 
Richter  has  marshaled  abundant  proof  of  the 
early  entrance  of  Christianity  into  India.  If 
then,  the  Christians  of  the  first  centuries  came  so 
near  to  fulfilling  literally  the  command  of  their 
Lord  in  the  evangelization  of  the  world,  may  we 
not  well  believe  that  what  they  accomplished, 
their  Lord  commanded,  and  more? 

But  let  these  arguments  suffice.  If  this  was  the  ^^^^  ^^^ 
thought  of  Christ,  as  it  was  also  His  command 
to  His  disciples,  that  thus,  speedily,  the  world 
should  be  evangelized,  what  profound  sugges- 
tions arise  from  the  question,  "What  if  the  early 
Church  had  fully  and  perfectly  fulfilled  her  Lord's 


126      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

will?"  Does  there  not  come  a  thrill  of  sublime 
imagining  of  what  it  would  have  meant  to  this 
world,  to  these  millenniums  of  human  history,  to 
us,  if  a  wholly  obedient  Church  had  allowed  God 
to  pass  quickly  and  at  once  to  His  Great  Next  in 
the  further  unfolding  of  the  divine  program  of 
world  redemption. 
A  Parable.  Xhis  then  was  the  Master's  ideal  Plan.   There 

is  a  beautiful  picture  portrayed  by  Mr.  S.  D.  Gor- 
don, in  one  of  his  "Quiet  Talks,"  which  sets 
forth  clearly  the  thought  of  Jesus  Christ  for  His 
disciples  and  Church,  and  the  Plan  by  which  He 
expected  the  salvation  which  He  Himself 
brought,  to  be  extended  and  applied  to  human 
life  everywhere. 

"The  Master  is  walking  with  Gabriel,  talking 
intently,  earnestly.  Gabriel  is  saying:  'Master, 
you  died  for  the  whole  world  down  there,  did  you 
not?'  'Yes.'  'You  must  have  suffered  much,' 
with  an  earnest  look  into  that  great  face.  'Yes,' 
again  comes  the  answer  in  a  wondrous  voice,  very 
quiet  but  strangely  full  of  deepest  feeling.  'And 
do  they  all  know  about  it  ?'  'Oh,  no ;  only  a  few 
in  Palestine  know  about  it  so  far.'  'Well,  Mas- 
ter, what  is  your  Plan?  What  have  you  done 
about  telling  the  world  that  you  have  died  for 
them?    What  is  your  Plan?' 

"  'Well,'  the  Master  is  supposed  to  answer,  'I 
asked  Peter  and  James  and  John,  and  little  Scotch 


WORLD  EVANGELIZATION.  1 27 

Andrew,  and  some  more  of  them  down  there,  just 
to  make  it  the  business  of  their  lives  to  tell  others, 
and  the  others  others,  and  yet  others,  and  still 
others,  until  the  last  man  in  the  farthest  circle  has 
heard  the  story,  and  has  felt  the  thrilling  and  the 
thralling  power  of  it.' 

"And  Gabriel  knows  us  folks  down  here  pretty 
well.  He  has  had  more  than  one  contact  with  the 
earth.  He  knows  the  kind  of  stuff  that  is  in  us. 
And  he  is  supposed  to  answer,  with  a  sort  of 
hesitating  reluctance,  as  though  he  could  see  dif- 
ficulties in  the  working  of  the  Plan,  'Yes — ^but — 
suppose  Peter  fails.  Suppose  after  a  while  John 
simply  does  not  tell  others.  Suppose  their  de- 
scendants, their  successors  away  off  in  the  first 
edge  of  the  twentieth  century,  get  so  busy  about 
things— some  of  them  proper— that  they  do  not 
tell  others,  what  then?'  And  his  eyes  are  big 
with  the  intenseness  of  his  thought,  for  he  is 
thinking  of  the  suffering,  and  he  is  thinking,  too, 
of  the  difference  to  the  man  who  hasn't  been  told, 
—'What  then?' 

"And  back  comes  that  quiet,  wondrous  voice  of 
Jesus,  'Gabriel,  I  haven't  made  any  other  plans, — 
Vm  counting  on  them'." 

The  New  Testament  Church 

The  New  Testament  gives  us  some  extended 
record  of  the  life  of  the  early  Church  during 


128      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 


A   Beautiful 
Picture. 


Days   of   the 
Miraculous. 


three  decades,  from  Pentecost  to  the  last  impris- 
onment of  Paul.  How  faithfully  did  the  Church 
fulfil  the  will  of  her  Lord  ? 

It  is  a  beautiful  picture  of  a  beautiful  life  which 
we  find  in  the  early  pages  of  the  Book  of  Acts. 
The  story  should  be  read  in  its  entirety  just  as 
Luke,  the  beloved  physician,  has  sketched  it. 
Only  a  few  distinctive  characteristics  of  that  life 
can  be  referred  to  here. 

It  was  a  company  of  people  who  lived  in  an  at- 
mosphere of  siipernatitralism.  They  expected  the 
extraordinary  to  happen  and  they  experienced  the 
extraordinary.  There  was  an  other-worldliness 
about  their  life  that  made  the  spiritual  world  very 
real.  They  were  not  lacking  in  real  human  na- 
ture, but  for  all  that,  just  beyond  a  thin  veil  which 
enveloped  human  life  here  on  earth,  there  was  a 
spirit  world,  there  were  spiritual  forces,  there 
was  a  Living  Lord.  And  out  of  that  unseen 
world,  gracious  influences  and  experiences  were 
all  the  time  streaming,  enriching  their  human 
life  upon  the  earth.  As  we  read  the  story  of  those 
days,  as  we  see  in  what  a  matter-of-fact  way 
they  spoke  to  their  Risen  Lord  in  prayer  and 
praise,  as  we  listen  to  words  unfolding  the  deep- 
est spiritual  truth  and  dealing  with  the  profound- 
est  spiritual  realities,  spoken  too  by  men  who 
were  neither  poets  nor  philosophers  nor  theolo- 
gians, we  are  compelled  to  realize  that  the  very 


WORLD  EVANGELIZATION.  I29 

atmosphere  of  life  was  to  them  surcharged  with 
the  supernatural. 

Life  also  was  full  of  joy.  They  were  so  glad.^  Great  Giad- 
We  do  not  need  to  ask  why.  It  was  the  gladness 
of  forgiveness,  the  joy  of  newness  of  life,  the 
sense  of  the  sufficiency  of  the  Savior.  They  were 
all  apostles  of  glad  news,  good  tidings.  And  their 
gladness  was  not  only  over  the  past;  it  reached 
into  the  future  and  became  a  great  expectancy.' 

Life  also  was  marked  by  love.  They  had  fel-  wonderful 
lowship  with  each  other.^  They  broke  bread  to- 
gether,* and  after  these  love  feasts  they  some- 
times united  in  observing  the  Lord's  Supper  to  ex- 
press their  love  for  Him.  Their  love  led  some  of 
them  to  volunteer  to  give  their  wealth  for  the 
good  of  all,  but  this  was  not  a  law ;  it  was  only  a 
privilege  in  which  those  could  indulge  who  de- 
sired. 

Their  lives  were  also  given  up  to  much  prayer.  Much  Prayer. 
They  went  generally  to  the  daily  prayers  in  the 
Temple.  It  would  be  a  natural  place  to  gather 
because  their  Lord  had  so  often  taught  there,''  and 
it  would  be  more  spacious  for  a  company  which 
quickly  numbered  several  thousand.  It  is  not  to 
be  thought  that  they  gave  up  their  daily  tasks  or 
livelihood,  but  yet  they  found  much  time  for 
prayer,  and  fellowship,  and  instruction,  and  wor- 

lActs  2:  46.  *  Acts   2:    42,   46. 

2  Acts  3:   19-21.  b  john  10:   23. 

«  Acts  2  :   42. 


130        GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 

ship,  and — one  more  thing  which  needs  also  to  be 
recognized. 
Constantly  They  were  constantly  witnessing  for  their  faith. 

This  was  not  so  much  formal  preaching,  as  talk- 
ing about  their  faith  and  their  Lord.  It  was  this 
that  got  them  into  trouble."  But  it  was  this  wit- 
nessing also,  which  the  Holy  Spirit  used  mightily, 
and  we  read  of  vast  numbers  being  added  to  them 
of  those  who  believed.^  "It  is  safe  to  say,  from 
various  expressions  used  in  Acts  (5:  14;  6:  7), 
that  in  the  three  or  four  years  following  Pente- 
cost the  number  converted  on  that  day  was 
trebled.  Perhaps  even  a  larger  estimate  may  be 
allowed.  Nor  need  we  suppose  that  believers 
were  confined  to  Jerusalem.  The  movement  na- 
turally spread  into  Judea  and  Galilee,  and  it  is 
probable  that  it  penetrated  farther.  A  little  later 
we  hear  of  disciples  in  Damascus  (Acts  9:  2,  10) 
and  other  foreign  cities  (26:  11),  and  this  diffu- 
sion of  the  faith  must  have  begun  early.  It  would" 
appear  that  at  least  the  Jews  of  Syria  were  af- 
fected, and  it  is  not  impossible  that  the  new  Gos- 
pel was  carried  still  more  widely  throughout  'the 
dispersion'  by  visitors  to  the  feasts  and  by  other 
Jewish  travelers."^ 

The  Gospel  of  a  Person 

Most  significant  is  the  Gospel,  which  the  early 

"Acts  4:   1,   2,   17-21. 

^  Acts  2  :  47  ;  4  :  4,  33  ;  5  :  14  ;  6  :  7. 

^  G.   T.   Purves's   "The  Apostolic  Age,"   page  47. 


WORLD  EVANGELIZATION.  1 3 1 

disciples  are  portrayed  as  proclaiming.  It  is  not 
stated  formally,  but  it  keeps  finding  expression  at 
every  turn.  Their  Gospel  was  a  Gospel  of  a  Per- 
son, and  that  person  was  Christ. 

Before  Christ's  Ascension,  the  disciples  had 
traveled  a  long  distance  in  their  faith  in  Christ. 
Perhaps  the  road  which  their  thoughts  took  in  ar- 
riving at  their  faith  in  Christ,  would  be  somewhat 
as  follows: 

"Is  He  a  good  man  or  is  He  a  bad  man  ?    Some  How  Faith 

°  Grew. 

speak  well  of  Him,  some  speak  otherwise."  "He 
is  a  good  man."  **  "He  also  possesses  unusual 
gifts :  of  character,  of  miracle-working  power,^"  of 
spiritual  knowledge." "  "Clearly  God  is  with 
Him."  *'  "Perhaps  He  bears  some  unusual  di- 
vine commission.  Could  He  be  a  prophet?"^' 
"Perhaps  He  is  the  prophesied  Elijah."  "  "Can 
He  be  the  Messiah?""  "But  He  died."  "Yes, 
but  He  rose  again."    "He  is  the  Messiah."  " 

And  now  since  Christ's  Ascension  two  new  con-  He  is  Alive, 
ceptions  dominated  their  life  and  thought,  (i) 
Jesus  is  still  alive.  So  the  writer  of  the  Acts  re- 
fers to  his  Gospel  as  describing  that  which  "Jesus 
began  both  to  do  and  teach,"  clearly  implying  that 
in  the  Acts  he  is  going  to  set  forth  that  which  this 
Living  Lord  continued  to  do  through  the  Holy 

9  John  7  :   12.  is  John  7  :  40. 

i»  John  7  :  31.  "  Luke  9  :   19. 

"John  3:   45.  46.                          is  john   7:   26. 

I'John  9:  33.  's  Luke  9:  20. 


132        GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 

Spirit  and  by  the  lives  of  His  disciples."  The 
great  proof  that  Jesus  was  still  alive  up  yonder 
beyond  the  veil  which  cut  heaven  off  from  human 
vision,  was  the  fact  that  out  of  that  unseen  world 
had  come,  according  to  His  promise,  this  gift  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.^^  Furthermore,  miracles  still  con- 
tinued to  be  wrought  in  His  name."  If  He  is 
alive,  then  He  is  to  be  consulted  in  all  matters  for 
guidance.^  His  presence  may  yet  be  manifested 
occasionally.*^  Being  alive,  He  will  yet  come 
again.^ 
God's  Repre-  (2)  Jesus  has  been  made  God's  representative 

sentative.  ^     -'  '^ 

in  all  things.^  Therefore  He  is  the  theme  of  all 
preaching.'*  Everything  depends  on  accepting 
Him  and  being  accepted  by  Him.^^  God  has 
transferred  to  Him  all  authority."^  Faith  is  now 
to  be  exercised  toward  Him."  All  approach  to 
God  the  Father  is  to  be  made  through  Him,  for 
God  the  Father  has  appointed  this  Jesus  as  the 
only  way  of  approach ;  "^  this  is  done,  not  to  shut 
men  off,  but  to  make  the  approach  more  perfect 
and  more  possible.  And  all  that  man  needs,  can 
be  found  in  Him:  leadership,  power,  guidance, 
forgiveness.    And  He  is  to  be  the  Judge  and  the 

"  Acts  1:1.  ^  Acts  2  :   22  ;  3  :   13  ; 

18  Acts  2  :   33.  4  :  10  ;    5  :    20,    31,    40,    42. 

19  Acts  3  :  6,  16  ;  4  :  10  ;  9  :  34.     25  Acts  2  :   38. 
29  Acts  1:  24.  »Acts  2:   36. 

21  Acts  7  :  56  ;  9  :  5.  27  Acts  3  :  16. 

22  Acts  1 :   11.  ^  Acts  4  :   12. 

23  Acts  2:  36. 


WORLD  EVANGELIZATION.  I33 

Restorer  in  days  to  come."  Since  He  is  all  of 
this,  He  can  be  none  other  than  God  also.  He  is 
the  Son  of  God.""  Following  such  conceptions  as 
these,  the  Jewish  convert  to  the  Christian  faith 
found  that  all  His  former  thought  of  Jehovah 
and  his  longed-for  relations  with  God,  were  trans- 
ferred to  Christ,  with  this  further  difference,  that 
what  had  been  an  unrealized  hope  or  an  imper- 
fectly realized  relationship  before,  now  found  per- 
fect realization  in  and  through  Jesus  Christ. 

Days  of  Persecution 

It  was  not  long  before  the  infant  Church  was  Early  Perse- 
called  upon  to  endure  persecution.  This  persecu- 
tion first  came  from  the  Sadducees.  This  was 
the  party  that  was  in  chief  control  of  the  Temple 
administration.  It  was  not  altogether  to  their 
liking  that  a  new  leadership  should  develop,  such 
as  that  exercised  by  the  apostles,  with  so  great  an 
influence  over  the  people :  ^^  here  was  the  motive 
of  envy.  Neither  was  the  doctrine  of  the  resur- 
rection at  all  to  their  liking,^'  for  they  were  de- 
niers  of  all  resurrection :  here  was  the  motive  of 
intellectual  pride.  Neither  did  they  enjoy  being 
constantly  reminded  of  their  responsibility  in  the 
death  of  Christ : '"  here  were  the  movings  of  a 


» Acts   3  :   20,  21  ; 

6: 

14; 

10:   42. 

»>Acts  9:  20. 

32  Acts  4 : 

2. 

«Acts  4:   2. 

33  Acts  5: 

28. 

134 

guilty  conscience.  Nor,  finally,  did  they  approve 
of  this  spiritual  Gospel  which  belittled  Temple 
and  Law,  and  foretold  the  destruction  of  the  Tem- 
ple. To  the  Sadducees  were  soon  added  other 
critics  and  opposers  of  the  Christian  faith.  The 
leaders  of  the  Church  were  arrested,  they  were 
lectured,  they  were  warned,  they  were  impris- 
oned, they  were  beaten,^*  and  withal  they  only 
grew  bolder  in  their  proclamation  of  their  faith 
A  Crisis.  in  Jesus  Christ.    At  last  matters  came  to  a  crisis. 

Stephen,  one  of  the  seven  deacons,  with  a  holy 
boldness  and  a  clear  discernment  of  the  implica- 
tions of  the  new  faith,  went  even  beyond  the  rest 
in  pressing  home  the  application  of  the  Gospel 
of  Christ.  They  dragged  him  to  a  semi-legal 
trial.  There  he  renewed  his  presentation  of  the 
new  faith.  With  wonderful  skill  he  sketched  the 
nation's  history  and  unfolded  the  divine  Plan 
for  World  Redemption.  Then  he  showed  that, 
again  and  again,  this  Plan  had  been  carried  for- 
ward only  by  the  faithful  few,  while  the  chosen 
race  as  a  whole  had  been  disobedient  to  its  call 
and  opposed  to  its  gracious  appointments.  Then 
he  charged  upon  them  and  their  present  attitude 
the  sinful  spirit  of  their  fathers.  "The  prisoner, 
who  began  in  self-defence,  ends  by  hurling  at  his 
judges  the  most  audacious  charges.  At  this  point 
a  howl  of  execration  from  mouths  which  clashed 

"Acts  4:   1-21;  5:  17-40. 


WORLD  EVANGELIZATION.  1 35 

with  rage  drowned  the  voice  of  the  accuser. 
Stephen  paused ;  his  face  changed  again ;  the  tu- 
mult died.  From  the  instant  he  heard  that  cry 
which  told  him  the  end  was  come,  he  ceased  from 
rebukes  which  wrought  no  penitence  but  only 
rage.  He  fell  back  from,  men  whom  he  could  not 
save,  upon  the  Master  for  Whom  he  still  could 
speak.  The  glory  of  God  bathed  him  with  its 
light.  The  old  radiance  stole  back  again  upon  his  Face. 
his  countenance,  when, 

* —  looking  upward,  full  of  grace 
He  prayed,  and  from  a  liappy  place 
God's  glory  smote  him  on  the  face,' 

At  last  he  spoke,  'Behold  I  see  the  heavens 
opened  and  the  Son  of  Man  standing  on  the  right 
hand  of  God.'  That  hated  name  let  loose  the  tide 
of  rage  which  awe  had  for  a  moment  frozen,  and, 
with  illegal  tumult,  councillors  and  bystanders, 
turned  through  their  passion  into  a  mob,  swept 
him  from  the  chamber  with  a  rush  and  hurried 
him  for  execution  beyond  the  northern  city 
gate.'"'  "And  the  witnesses  laid  down  their 
garments  at  the  feet  of  a  young  man  named  Saul. 
.  .  .  .  And  Saul  was  consenting  unto  his 
death."  " 

Thus  was  accomplished  the  first  martyrdom  of  First  Martyr, 
this   Period  of  Evangelization.     Thus  was   set 

85  J.  O.  Dykes's  "From  Jerusalem  to  Antioch." 
s«Acts  7:  58-8;  1. 


136      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 


The   Seed  of 
the  Church. 


Scattered. 


forth  the  truth,  which  the  Church  in  some  ages 
has  so  bravely  accepted,  in  other  ages  has  so 
craven-heartedly  avoided:  that  as  Christ  laid 
down  life  for  world  redemption^  the  Church, 
His  body,  must  lay  down  life  for  world  evangeli- 
sation. Sin  would  indeed  be  a  weak  force  in  the 
world,  if  it  surrendered  its  kingdom  without  a 
mortal  conflict. 

Thus  also  was  early  witness  borne  to  the  con- 
quering power  of  a  witness  unto  death,  which 
makes  "the  blood  of  the  martyrs  to  become  the 
seed  of  the  Church."  One  in  that  crowd  became 
a  mightier  missionary  of  the  Cross  than  Stephen 
himself,  but  the  credit  belongs  to  Stephen  and  to 
Christ. 

Thus  also  was  accomplished  a  great  turning 
movement  in  the  development  of  the  early 
Church.  Of  the  missionary  spirit  of  the  early 
disciples  there  is  abundant  proof.  But  had  they 
lacked  initiative  in  not  moving  away  from  Jerusa- 
lem ?  Were  their  horizons  of  God's  will  and  pur- 
poses too  circumscribed?  Had  they  grown  un- 
mindful, as  it  is  so  easy  to  do,  of  the  rest  of  the 
Commission,  as  they  labored  to  fulfil  the  first 
part  of  it,  "Ye  shall  be  my  witnesses  in  Jerusa- 
lem"? Be  that  as  it  may,  their  Living  Leader 
Who  guides  by  His  Holy  Spirit  the  willing  hearts 
of  men,  but  Who  also  disposes  by  His  providences 
of  even  human  unwillingness.  He  it  was.  Who 


WORLD  EVANGELIZATION.  1 37 

wrought  by  persecution  to  make  a  foreign  mis- 
sionary of  the  early  disciple  whose  spirit  was 
willing  indeed,  but  whose  flesh  may  have  been 
weak.  The  record  tells  us,  that  "they  were  all 
scattered  abroad  and  throughout  the  regions  of 
Judea  and  Samaria,  except  the  apostles"  (Acts 
8:  I). 


CHAPTER  VI 


The  Missionary  Movement 


'At  last,  the  Christ !     Men's  hearts  are  thrilled ! 
Lo,  now  the  plan  will  be  fulfilled! 
Yet  still  the  years  their  cycles  run, 
And  still  Thy  work  seems  scarce  begun. 

'Then  swiftly  in  one  century's  hour 
Jehovah  bares  His  arm  with  power. 
Flings  wide  the  gates  in  ancient  lands, 
From  fettered  millions  breaks  the  bands; 

"Bids  learning,  statecraft,  science,  gold. 
Arise  and  speed  His  purpose  old; 
Inspires  new  heralds,  wings  their  feet, 
Arms  them  with  faith  all  foes  to  meet. 

'Almighty  Father,   Savior,  Friend! 
In  awe  before  Thy  sway  we  bend; 
Empower  our  souls  to  read  aright 
These  tokens  of  Thy  love  and  might; 

'To  see  converging  everywhere 
The  answer  to  cmr  daily  prayer : 
Thy  kingdom  come.  Thy  will  be  done. 
In  every  land  by  every  one." 

— "American  Board  Centennial  Hymn," 
hy  Frances  T.  Dyer. 


VI 

THE  MISSIONARY  MOVEMENT 

THE  missionary  movement  had  already  been 
well  launched  by  the  ''home  missionary" 
efforts  of  the  Jerusalem  Christians.  In 
the  ordinary  providence  of  God,  visits  of 
merchants  and  pilgrims,  of  travelers  and  colon- 
ists, to  Jerusalem,  had  resulted  in  an  extension  of 
the  new  faith  even  to  Damascus,  illustrating  the 
truth  which  is  set  forth  in  the  popular  missionary 
epigram  of  to-day,  that  "the  light  that  shines 
brightest  at  home,  shines  farthest  abroad." 

Persecution  now  increased  many  fold  the  num-  -^"^  *^  Spread. 
ber  of  missionaries.  A  wonderful  work  of  grace 
was  wrought  in  Samaria.^  An  Ethiopian  govern- 
ment official  went  back  to  Africa  a  joyful  believer 
in  the  Christ  of  whom  the  prophet  spoke.'  The 
Gospel  was  preached  throughout  Judea,  and  Gali- 
lee, and  Samaria,  with  such  power  that  the  body 
of  Christians  could  be  referred  to  as  the  Church 
in  these  sections.^ 

Now  comes  an  event  which  proved  epoch-mak-  Miracfe!*^^ 
ing  in  the  history  of  the  Christian  missionary 
movement.    Saul,  the  persecutor,  is  converted  to 

1  Acts   8  :   4-25.  =  Acts  8  :   26-39.  '  Acts  9  :   31. 

141 


142        GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 

the  faith  for  whose  extinction  he  had  labored. 
"That  blessed  war  of  aggression  which  Jesus 
Christ  wages  upon  the  evil  world  is  a  war  which 
is  made  to  maintain  itself.  Christ's  soldiers  are 
His  captured  enemies.  Every  soul  won  from  re- 
sistance to  the  Cross  is  marked  at  once  with  the 
Cross-badge,  and  sent  into  the  field  to  win  others. 
Of  this,  the  most  notable  instance  in  history  is 
the  conversion  of  Saul.  Jesus  Christ  never  en- 
countered a  bitterer  or  an  abler  foe ;  Jesus  Christ 
never  won  a  mightier  captain  for  His  army  of 
light." 
The  Man's  To  take  the  measurement  of  this  man's  man- 

Call. 

hood  would  require  a  whole  book  of  biography. 
To  take  the  measurement  of  this  man's  message 
would  require  a  work  on  theology.  There  is 
space  here  only  for  a  glance  at  his  missionary 
call.  ( I )  It  was  a  call  which  came  with  conver- 
sion, as  indeed  should  be  the  case  with  every 
Christian.  Enlistment  in  missionary  service  is 
not  an  exceptional  experience  belonging  to  the 
few,  or  to  some  advanced  stage  of  the  Christian 
life.  It  is  a  common  duty  of  every  Christian 
commoner.  (2)  Paul's  call  was  to  world-wide 
missionary  service.  It  was  to  go  before  Gentiles, 
before  royalty,  and  before  his  own  people.*  (3) 
It  was  a  call  to  hardship."  Why  not?  Shall  the 
service  of  Self  claim  effort  and  struggle,  and  the 

*Acts  9:   15;  26:   17.  ^  Acts  9:  16. 


THE  MISSIONARY   MOVEMENT.  I43 

service  of  Christ  claim  only  ease  and  conveni- 
ence? 

This  man,  thus  called,  was  the  mightiest  single  a  Tireless 
impulse  which  God  gave  to  that  early  Christian 
movement.  The  narrative  of  his  labors  will  be 
found  in  separate  treatises.^  But  from  Damascus 
to  Arabia,  from  Arabia  to  Jerusalem,  from  Jeru- 
salem to  Tarsus,  from  Tarsus  to  the  country 
round  about,  then  to  Antioch,  and  then  on  a  mis- 
sionary journey  which  took  him  through  Tarsus, 
Perga,  Pisidia,  Antioch,  Iconium,  Lystra  and 
Derbe, — thus  did  this  restless  missionary  leader, 
restless  only  in  his  passion  for  Christ's  Kingdom, 
journey  about  during  the  first  fifteen  years  of  his 
Christian  life. 

The  Anti-Missionary  Spirit 

It  is  the  year  50  A.  D.  Two  decades  have  Farther  sun 
passed  since  Pentecost.  The  missionary  fires  have 
been  burning  steadily,  and  the  Christian  faith 
has  spread  surprisingly.  It  is  in  Jerusalem, 
where  it  started,  but  it  has  also  reached  to  Sa- 
maria ;  it  has  traversed  Palestine ;  it  has  reached 
Caesarea  and  won  Cornelius;  it  has  crossed  the 
water  to  Cyprus ;  it  is  in  Tarsus  and  at  Antioch ; 
it  has  been  carried  into  several  provinces  of  Asia 
Minor;  perhaps  it  is  in  Rome.     From  a  geogra- 

«  Farrar's  "Life  and  Work  of  St.  Paul,"  Speer's  "The  Man 
Paul." 


144     god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 


A   Supreme 
Issue. 


A   Great   Vic- 
tory. 


phical  point  of  view,  there  seems  no  ground  for 
criticism.  But  the  stream  has  run  narrow,  if  it 
has  run  deep  and  far.  There  are  those  in  the 
Christian  camp  who  would  Hmit  Christianity  to 
the  Jewish  race.  "Within  those  Hmits  it  had  its 
origin,"  they  say,  "within  those  limits  let  it 
abide."  Their  utmost  concession  is  that  it  shall 
be  offered  to  Gentiles  who  will  agree,  when  they 
accept  Christianity,  to  accept  also  the  observ- 
ance of  the  Jewish  law.  A  great  issue  is  at  stake. 
Missions  are  at  stake.  Nay,  Christianity  itself  is 
at  stake.  But  it  is  Missions  that  will  make  the 
issue  clear,  and  it  is  Missions  that  will  forge  the 
weapons  of  defence,  and  it  is  Missions  which  will 
furnish  the  great  defenders  of  the  faith,  and  it  is 
Missions  which  will  win — win  the  battle  for 
World  Christianity.  The  story  of  the  Great 
Council,  called  to  settle  the  question,  is  narrated 
in  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  the  Acts.  To  the  ques- 
tion, "Is  the  Jewish  law  binding  upon  the  Gen- 
tile?" it  answered  explicitly  and  emphatically 
"No."  To  the  question,  "Is  the  observance  of  the 
Jewish  law  a  ground  of  salvation  with  the  Jew  ?" 
it  answered  implicitly,  "No." 

It  was  a  great  victory.  Paul  had  a  great  hand 
in  it.  So  did  Peter  and  James.  But  the  Holy 
Spirit  Himself  stood  back  of  all  these,  and 
wrested  victory  out  of  defeat.  Christianity  was 
saved.     Missions  were  justified. 


THE   MISSIONARY   MOVEMENT.  I45 

Farther  Expansion 
Freed  from  the  bondage  of  Judaism,  Christi-  ^f^^l  'o^  ^^^ 

°  ''  '  World. 

anity  stood  ready  to  be  applied  universally.  To 
be  sure,  most  Jewish  Christians  held  fast  to  the 
Jewish  ritual,  and  others  even  urged  that  "it  was 
better"  that  Gentiles  should  adhere  to  it  too,  but 
the  Council  at  Jerusalem  gave  the  right  of  way 
to  a  Christianity  unhampered  by  Jewish  ritual. 
Into  the  work  of  extending  the  faith  thus  set 
free  from  encumbrances,  Paul  flung  himself  with 
a  devotion  which  took  no  measure  of  itself,  but 
took  notice  only  of  the  greatness  of  the  love  of 
Christ  and  of  the  magnitude  of  the  task  to  be 
performed.  Had  Paul's  hardships  been  endured 
by  a  soldier  fighting  for  his  country,  immortal 
fame  would  have  been  his  meed.  Paul  scarcely 
thinks  them  worthy  of  mention.  "  'Tis  nothing,"  what  Matter! 
he  says,  "the  love  of  Christ  constraineth  me." 
Thus  he  passes  on  to  greater  sacrifices,  that 
through  them  he  may  attain  to  greater  useful- 
ness. More  than  once,  yes,  five  times,  his  back 
is  bared  to  the  Jewish  lash  and  thrice  to  the  Ro- 
man lictor's  rods.  In  the  middle  of  his  career, 
Paul  makes  incidental  reference  to  shipwrecks, 
three  in  number,  besides  a  perilous  night  and  day 
spent  on  the  deep.  He  cannot  stop  to  count  the 
times  he  was  led  as  a  common  prisoner  to  the 
public  jail.     At  times  indeed  the  heroic   spirit 

10 


146      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

seems  to  give  way.  He  speaks  of  "tears,  and 
trembling,  and  desolation  of  heart,  and  utter  rest- 
lessness." Then  recovering  strength,  he  flings 
himself  once  more  into  his  work,  bemoaning  his 
weakness  only  for  this  reason,  lest  through  it  the 
cause  of  Christ  should  be  hindered.  Let  men  call 
him  mad,  if  they  will  only  accept  the  Christ  he 
presents.  Let  men  hold  him  in  utter  contempt,  if 
only  they  will  admire  the  Christ  of  whom  he 
speaks.  Antioch  with  its  outlying  districts,  Pam- 
phylia,  Galatia,  Macedonia,  Greece,  Eastern  Asia 
with  its  great  metropolis  Ephesus,  have  all  been 
To  the  Regions    occupied  for  Christ.     Paul's  face  is  set  toward 

Beyond. 

Italy  and  Rome.  Persecution  itself  lends  a  hand 
to  carry  out  his  missionary  purpose.  The  Ro- 
man government  pays  his  passage  to  Rome.  Paul 
goes  in  chains.  At  last  comes  the  end.  Our  sur- 
vey has  scarcely  allowed  a  sentence  for  every 
year  of  sacrifice,  and  scarcely  a  word  for  every 
form  of  suffering.  What  matter!  Paul  himself 
passes  these  by.  Chains  and  imprisonment? 
They  are  not  worth  a  thought.  Sacrifices  ?  Nay, 
that  is  the  wrong  word :  "This  service  is  a  privi- 
lege ;  the  love  of  Christ  constraineth  me."  In  the 
gloom  of  a  Roman  dungeon  and  with  his  long 
day's  work  almost  done,  Paul  pens  our  last  mes- 
sage from  him.  Looking  back  over  the  thirty 
years  of  his  life  which  he  had  poured  out  so  un- 
stintingly  as  a  libation  to  his  Lord,  not  a  thought 


THE   MISSIONARY  MOVEMENT.  I47 

of  regret  suggests  itself.  Only  satisfaction!  It 
was  worth  while.  "Henceforth  there  is  laid  up 
for  me,  a  crown  of  righteousness,"  he  says,  "which 
the  Lord,  the  Righteous  Judge,  will  give  me  at 
that  day."  Then,  disclaiming  the  thought  that 
he  had  done  any  more  than  others  too  would  be 
impelled  to  do  by  that  same  constraining  love  of 
Christ,  he  adds,  "And  not  to  me  only,  but  unto 
all  them  that  love  His  appearing." 

Thus  we  come  to  the  end  of  this  man's  life  of  The  End. 
service,  this  man  who  was  the  great  Missionary 
Apostle.  Of  the  other  apostles  and  their  labors 
we  know  but  little.  A  tradition,  interesting  to 
those  laboring  in  the  Nile  Valley,  is  the  one 
which  asserts  that  Peter,  with  Mark,  founded 
the  Christian  Church  in  Egypt.  But  our  eyes 
should  not  be  fixed  only  upon  the  great  leaders 
of  the  Church.  Much  of  the  most  effective  work 
can  be  traced  to  the  missionary  labors  of  the  rank 
and  file.  A  small  taper  may  light  a  great  flame, 
and  indeed  may  be  carried  far  afield  when  a  bon- 
fire cannot  even  be  lifted.  The  New  Testament 
narrative  gives  many  evidences  of  the  labors  of 
these  obscure  missionaries.^ 

How  varied  were  the  forms  of  carrying  to  the  Aumen?es, 
world  the  Gospel  of  redemption  through  Christ:  ^^^^®'^- 
formal  preaching,  formal  teaching,  public  debate, 


»  Acts  9  :   10,  25,  31 ;  11 :  19-21 ;  13  :   1 ;   18  :  22  ;  19  :  1 ; 
28:  14,    15. 


148      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

personal  work,  praise  and  gladness,  prayer,  mira- 
cles, discipline,  official  organization,  the  endur- 
ance of  persecution,  and  martyrdom  itself.  How 
varied,  too,  are  the  audiences  recorded:  gather- 
ings at  the  public  Sabbath  service,  group  meet- 
ings on  other  days,  Jews,  Samaritans,  a  royal 
treasurer,  a  Roman  officer,  city  magistrates,  Greek 
philosophers,  governors  and  their  wives.  How 
varied,  too,  are  the  places  in  which  this  testimony 
for  Christ  is  given :  the  Temple,  the  synagogues, 
the  streets,  court-rooms,  both  ecclesiastical  and 
civil,  the  riverside,  the  theater,  the  school,  pri- 
vate homes,  the  public  jail,  and  on  shipboard. 
Last^Third  of  During  the  last  third  of  the  first  century  of  the 
Christian  era,  Christianity  continued  to  spread 
rapidly.  "Our  information  is  scanty,  but  there 
can  be  no  doubt  about  the  fact.  We  have  already 
noted  its  wide  diffusion  in  the  last  years  of  Paul. 
That  it  entered  Egypt  with  much  power  is  proved 
by  the  remains  of  early  Christian  literature  in  that 
land  from  early  in  the  second  century.  There  is 
also  reason  to  believe  that  it  entered  Arabia  and 
Parthia,  and  possibly  India,  as  well  as,  in  the  west, 
Germany  and  Gaul.  It  touched  Spain  and  per- 
haps Britain ;  while  throughout  the  central  parts 
of  the  empire  it  had  its  adherents  in  every  coun- 
try. The  language  of  the  Revelation  {e.  g.,  7: 
9)  implies  that  the  new  faith  included  represen- 
tatives from  all  nations.     Clement  of  Rome  (A. 


THE   MISSIONARY   MOVEMENT.  I49 

D.  96)  refers  to  the  apostles  as  'preaching  every- 
where in  city  and  country.'  Ignatius  (A.  D. 
no)  writes  of  'bishops  settled  in  the  farthest 
parts  (of  the  earth).'  Pliny,  governor  of  Bith- 
ynia  and  Pontus  in  A.  D.112,  found  the  Christians 
so  numerous  that  the  worship  of  the  temples  had 
severely  suffered.  It  is  probable  that  by  the  close 
of  the  century  companies  of  believers  existed  in 
all  the  larger  cities  and  many  of  the  smaller 
towns  of  the  empire,  and  that  the  new  religion 
was  represented  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Indus, 
and  from  Germany  to  Egypt  and  Arabia."  ^ 

Two  Centuries  of  Heroism 

The  second  and  third  centuries  of  the  Chris-  Persecution 

and   Heroism. 

tian  era  might  well  be  described  as  centuries  of 
heroism,  because  of  the  noble  devotion,  not  of  all, 
nor  of  the  majority  perhaps,  but  of  so  very  many 
members  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  It  was  a  mis- 
sionary period.  It  was  also  a  period  of  persecu- 
tion. It  was  this  that  made  the  missionary  zeal 
of  the  Christians  of  this  period  the  more  note- 
worthy. "On  the  Roman  roads  built  for  mili-  ^^^^'^^^^ 
tary  expeditions,  down  the  current  of  strange  riv- 
ers, into  forest  recesses,  into  the  thick  of  city  life 
where  the  convention  of  culture  and  the  cruelties 
of  paganism  offered  bitter  welcome,  they  went 


G.   T.   Purves's   "The  Apostolic  Age,"   page  295. 


150      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

forward  to  their  destiny,  evermore  dreamers  who 
made  the  dream  come  true.  Their  lot  was  not  an 
easy  one.  They  were  accused  of  atrocious 
crimes;  lampooned;  cursed;  charged  with  trea- 
son; outlawed  by  the  judges;  and  sent  to  the 
stake,  when  a  single  word  of  acknowledgment  of 
the  divinity  of  the  emperor  would  have  ensured 
their  liberty.  Juvenal  may  have  been  an  eye- 
witness of  the  carnival  in  Nero's  gardens  when 
he  tells  how 

'At  the  stake  they  shine, 
Who  stand  with  throat  transfixed,  and  smoke  and  burn/ 

Their  veins  might  supply  rivers  with  bloody 
tides;  their  only  honor  be  the  accusation  of 
shameful  deeds ;  their  homes  be  dens ;  their  faith 
in  Jesus  be  called  'atheism,'  and  the  lion's  maw 
their  goal;  but  even  so  they  went  smilingly  for- 
ward— to  victory. 
Girls  as  Well       "Tender    p-irls    joined    stalwart    men    in    the 

as  Men.  t  ,  t 

march  to  the  grave,  in  one  of  the  persecutions 
through  which  the  early  Church  rose  to  more 
vigorous  life,  a  number  of  martyrs  suffered  in 
Carthage,  among  whom  were  two  young  women, 
Perpetua  and  Felicitas.  All  the  prisoners  were 
condemned  to  fight  with  the  wild  beasts  on  the 
birthday  of  the  Caesar.  One  of  the  martyrs, 
Saturus,  was  speedily  released  from  life  by  the 
bite  of  a  leopard.     Perpetua  and  Felicitas  were 


THE   MISSIONARY   MOVEMENT.  I5I 

put  into  a  net  and  exposed  to  a  wild  cow.  On 
her  hair  and  dress  becoming  disarranged,  Per- 
petua  quietly  reordered  them,  modest  to  the  last. 
Being  about  to  receive  the  death-blow,  Perpetua 
called  to  the  soldier,  Pudens,  'Be  strong,  and 
think  of  my  faith,  and  let  not  all  this  make  thee 
waver,  but  strengthen  thee.'  They  greeted  one 
another  with  the  kiss  of  peace,  and  were  slain 
with  daggers.  When  the  gladiator  came  near 
who  was  to  kill  Perpetua,  his  hand  trembled.  She 
took  his  hand,  guided  it  to  her  throat,  and  died 
as  calmly  as  if  falling  asleep.  It  needed  no  pro- 
phet to  tell  the  future  of  such  assurance,  for  the 
endurance  of  the  Christians  wore  out  the  hate  of 
the  heathens.  No  efforts  at  annihilation  could 
prevail  when  love  had  armed  the  sufferer  for  the 
conflict.  The  executioner  might  behead  the 
Bishop  Sixtus  in  the  Catacombs,  and  scatter  his 
blood  on  the  spot  where  he  had  just  celebrated 
the  Lord's  Supper,  and  four  days  later  roast  his 
deacon  Laurentius  in  an  iron  chair — the  victory 
of  the  truth  was  sure  to  fall  to  those  who  loved  it 
sincerely." " 

As  a  result  of  this  missionary  devotion  we  find  ^^^^^^  ^um- 
Christianity  well  established  in  Cappadocia.    Ar- 
menia is  officially  a  Christian  country.     In  Bith- 
ynia,  the  imperial  court  itself  is  full  of  Christians. 

» R.  T.   Stevenson's  "The  Missionary  Interpretation  of  His- 
tory," page  25. 


152        GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 

There  are  frequent  references  to  Christians  in 
the  central  provinces  of  Asia  Minor.  The  north- 
western section  of  Asia  Minor  is  well  occupied 
by  the  new  faith,  as  are  also  the  north  and  north- 
west coasts  of  the  Black  Sea.  Of  course,  Italy 
and  Greece  have  been  entered,  and  Christianity 
has  moved  northward  past  Upper  Italy,  and  has 
at  least  reached  into  Gaul,  Belgium,  Germany. 
Northern  Africa  is  a  stronghold  of  Christianity, 
with  over  a  hundred  bishoprics.  Even  England 
has  been  touched,  for  in  316  A.  D.  there  are  three 
bishops,  from  London,  York  and  Lincoln,  who 
attend  the  synod  of  Aries.  It  was  a  wonderful 
record,  and  contrasts  sharply  with  the  record  of 
succeeding  periods. 

Eclipse  of  the  Missionary  Ideal 

Church  and  In    7,27.,    Constantine   became    master    of    the 

state 

whole  Roman  world.  His  reign  marks  an  epoch 
in  the  history  of  Qiristianity,  for  Constantine 
was  the  first  Christian  emperor.  In  his  day 
Christianity  was  made  the  Empire's  religion,  and 
Church  and  State  joined  hands.  But  what  the 
Church  gained  in  political  prestige,  she  lost  in 
spiritual  power.  The  causes  of  spiritual  decline 
are  too  many  to  be  enumerated  here.-  The  out- 
workings  of  that  downward  movement  call  for 
a  survey  of  more  than  a  millennium  of  Church 


THE  MISSIONARY   MOVEMENT.  1 53 

history.  We  would  not  disparage  the  missionary 
labors  of  the  faithful  few,  of  the  "remnant"  of 
the  new  Israel,  of  the  spiritual  Church  within  the  ^^^  Faithful 
visible  Church.  If  opportunity  permitted,  it 
would  be  well  to  measure  anew  the  noble  efforts 
put  forth  from  time  to  time  to  carry  the  Gospel 
to  the  "regions  beyond."  We  should  tell  how 
Succat  (St.  Patrick,  as  he  is  better  known),  heard 
the  call  of  Ireland,  "We  must  entreat  thee,  holy 
youth,  to  come  and  walk  among  us."  Of  the 
work  which  he  and  his  fellow-laborers  accom- 
plished, Maclear  says,  "At  a  time  when  clan 
feuds  and  bloodshed  were  rife,  and  princes  rose 
and  fell,  and  all  was  stormy  and  changeful,  they 
had  covered  the  island  with  monastic  schools, 
where  the  Scriptures  were  studied,  ancient  books 
collected  and  read,  and  native  missionaries  trained 
for  their  own  country,  and  for  the  remotest  parts 
of  the  European  continent."  All  of  this  before 
the  close  of  the  fifth  century. 

We  should  tell  the  story  of  Ulfilas,  the  apostle  ^^^o°s  ^^e 
of  the  Goths  (318-388  A.  D.).  Then  the  story  of 
missions  would  carry  us  back  to  the  British,  and 
we  would  speak  of  Columbia,  Columbanus  and 
Gallus,  of  Gregory  the  Great  and  the  missionary 
St.  Augustine.  We  should  speak,  too,  of  Boni- 
face and  how  he  carried  the  Gospel  through  the 
land  that  is  now  Germany. 

We  should  then  speak  of  Anskar,  who  labored 


154        GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 


Three   Barren 
Centuries. 


The   Reforma- 
tion. 


among  the  fierce  sea-kings  of  Jutland  and  Swe- 
den in  the  middle  of  the  ninth  century;  and  of 
Cyrillus  and  Methodius,  who  carried  the  Gospel 
to  the  Bulgarians  toward  the  close  of  this  same 
century. 

Then  we  would  be  compelled  to  pass  over  three 
barren  centuries.  Does  some  one  exclaim,  **But 
were  not  the  Crusades  missionary  movements?" 
Well,  we  do  not  find  them  so.  We  do  not  deny 
the  high  aim,  the  devotion,  the  courage,  displayed 
by  these  movements,  but  they  were  not  mission- 
ary, they  were  military.  They  were  not  for  the 
proclamation  of  a  gospel,  but  for  the  conquest  of 
sacred  places.  But  we  would  mention  Raymond 
Lull  (1236-1315  A.  D.),  the  lonely  forerunner  of 
missions  to  Moslems;  and  then — well,  then  we 
should  quote  Warneck,  "Missionary  activity, 
which  had  been  growing  more  and  more  external, 
came  gradually  to  a  standstill  in  the  fourteenth 
century." 

Thus  are  we  brought  down  to  the  age  of  the 
Reformation.  What  did  the  leaders  of  the  Refor- 
mation teach  on  this  subject?  Warneck  proves 
conclusively  that  missionary  activity  was  not  even 
within  the  horizon  of  their  thought.  It  may  be 
possible  to  write  an  apology  for  their  attitude, 
but  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  deny  the  fact.  On 
the  other  hand,  every  one  will  recognize  the  in- 


THE   MISSIONARY   MOVEMENT.  I55 


estimable  value  of  the  Reformation  in  giving  us 
a  pure  gospel  to  promulgate. 

These  references  to  the  missionary  record  of  Record 
the  Church  are  scanty  enough.  They  scarcely 
give  a  word  for  each  page  of  interesting  narra- 
tive, but  they  are  made  lest  the  next  statement 
should  seem  a  wholly  superficial  generalization. 
And  that  statement  is  that  the  Church's  mission- 
ary activity  throughout  these  centuries  of  the 
Christian  era  is  shamefully,  inexplicably  trivial. 
Such  missionary  work  as  was  done  was  the  re- 
sult of  no  general  movement  of  the  Church  of 
God,  but  the  work  of  single  individuals  and  small 
bands  of  men,  whom  the  organized  Church  for 
the  most  part  ignored  and  only  later  generations 
honored.  Furthermore,  even  the  most  detailed 
account  of  missionary  effort  leaves  great  gaps  of 
decades  and  centuries  and  great  sections  of  the 
Church  during  which  and  by  v/hich  no  mission- 
ary work  at  all  was  done.  Finally,  if  we  take  all 
that  was  done  in  the  first  eighteen  centuries  of 
the  Christian  era,  the  total  amount  is  pitifully 
small.  We  take  a  well-known  Church  history 
of  664  pages.  Only  y6  pages  of  this  narrative 
are  devoted  to  the  recital  of  the  spread  of  the 
Gospel.  A  double  inference  is  possible:  either 
the  history  is  inaccurate  and  the  Church  has 
been  active  in  ways  unrecorded,  or  the  history 
presents  a  true  picture  and  the  Church  has  only 


156      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

spent  about  one-tenth  of  its  energy — if  that — 
in  carrying  out  even  remotely  the   divine  pro- 
gram.   We  beUeve  the  latter  inference  is  the  sad 
but  correct  one. 
The  Plan  Thus   we   sec   the   great  missionary  program 

TTnrG  Jill  zed 

which  Christ  gave  to  His  Church,  unrealized. 
As  with  Israel  in  the  Period  of  Preparation,  so 
with  the  Church  in  the  Period  of  Application, 
the  people  chosen  of  God  lost  sight  of  their  high 
calling,  narrowed  their  world-wide  mission,  and, 
through  disobedience  and  selfishness,  allowed  the 
missionary  ideal  to  suffer  eclipse.  Yet  must  we 
recognize  that  in  the  dark  days  of  the  Christian 
era,  as  in  the  dark  days  of  the  Old  Testament 
dispensation,  there  have  been  marvelous  overrul- 
ings  of  human  disobedience,  gracious  forbear- 
ance on  the  part  of  God  and,  above  all,  an  un- 
broken succession  of  devoted  souls,  who,  because 
their  hearts  were  pure,  were  able  to  see  their 
Lord's  World  Missionary  Plan.  Thus  are  we 
brought  to  the  modern  missionary  period. 

The  Vision  Unveiled  Again 

In  the  year  1910,  three  great  gatherings  were 
held  which  may  well  symbolize  the  unveiling  of 
the  missionary  vision  in  this  our  day. 

On  the  opening  day  of  the  year,  3,747  young 
men  and  women  were  gathered  together,  in  the 


THE   MISSIONARY   MOVEMENT.  I57 

city  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  for  the  sixth  conven-  student  voiun- 

^   •'  ^  teers. 

tion  of  the  Student  Vokmteer  Movement,  mark- 
ing, however,  the  twenty-fifth  year  of  the  Move- 
ment's Hfe.  The  theme  of  this  great  gathering, 
representing  735  educational  institutions  of 
America,  was  World  Conquest.  The  rallying 
cry  of  this  Movement  is:  The  evangelization 

OF  THE  WORLD  IN  THIS  GENERATION. 

In  May  of  the  same  year,  there  gathered  in  daymen, 
the  city  of  Chicago,  4,219  men,  for  the  most  part 
business  men,  from  47  different  States,  with 
others  from  Canada  and  others  from  abroad. 
The  theme  of  this  great  gathering  was  World 
Conquest.     Its  opening  message  was :  The  will 

OF  CHRIST  FOR  THE  WORLD. 

In  June  of  the  same  year,  there  gathered  in  the  SS!^  ^"''^^''" 
city  of  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  a  company  of  1,200 
accredited  delegates,  besides  a  still  larger  number 
in  parallel  sessions,  representing  the  whole  world 
of  Protestant  Christianity  and  the  whole  world  of 
missionary  activity.  The  theme  of  this  great 
gathering  was  World  Conquest.  The  dominant 
note  was :  Our  sufficiency  is  from  god. 

These  three  great  gatherings  bespeak,  as  no  ^^^^^^  signifi- 
array  of  isolated  missionary  facts  may  do,  the 
modern  missionary  period  to  which  Christ's 
Church  has  come,  and  the  unveiling  before  her 
eyes  of  the  Missionary  Vision  for  the  consumma- 
tion of  the  divine  Plan  for  World  Redemption. 


158      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

And  these  three  great  gatherings  symbolize 
mighty  forces  which  are  needed  for  the  realiza- 
tion of  that  Vision,  forces  which  have  not  been 
available  in  the  past  through  the  unwillingness  of 
man,  but  forces  which  the  Spirit  of  God  has  now 
placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Church  for  her 
mighty  task. 

(i)  The    Rochester    Convention    symbolizes 
surrendered  life. 

(2)  The  Chicago  Convention  symbolizes  sur- 
rendered wealth. 

(3)  The    Edinburgh    Conference    symbolizes 
Christian  unity  and  Divine  sufficiency. 

What  Might  it      The  movements  which  symbolize  these  forces, 

not  Mean?  -^ 

which  are  now  becoming  available  for  World 
Conquest,  were  not  born  of  man,  but  of  God. 
Their  synchronous  appearance  is  significant  of 
the  eternal  purposes  of  God.  It  is,  to  use  a 
phrase  of  Mr.  John  R.  Mott,  "the  time  of  times." 
It  is  "the  decisive  hour  of  Christian  missions." 
Whatever  faithlessness  may  have  prevented  in  the 
past  the  earlier  fulfilment  of  the  divine  Plan  for 
World  Redemption,  the  Christian  Church  once 
again  has  come  to  the  border  of  the  Promised 
Land,  and  may  enter  in,  accomplishing  the  will 
of  its  Lord  by  world  evangelization.  Does  there 
not  come  a  thrill  of  sublime  imagining  as  we 
stand  over  against  so  great  a  possibility  of  our 
day  and  generation :  that  with  the  Church's  obe- 


THE  MISSIONARY   MOVEMENT.  1 59 

dience  to  the  command  of  its  Lord,  the  great 
eternal  purposes  of  God  might  swing  upon  their 
hinges  and  usher  in  that  Great  Next  which  lies 
beyond  the  age  in  which  we  live. 


CHAPTER  VII 


The  Individual  and  God's  Plan 


11 


"I  worship  thee,  sweet  will  ai  God! 
And  all  thy  ways  adore; 
And  every  day  I  live,  I  seem 
To  love  thee  more  and  more. 

"Thou  wert  the  end,  the  blessed  rule 
Of  our  Saviour's  toils  and  tears ; 
Thou  wert  the  passion  of  His  heart 
Those  three  and  thirty  years. 

"And  He  hath  breath'd  into  my  soul 

A  special  love  of  thee, 
A  love  to  lose  my  will  in  His, 
And  by  that  loss  be  free." 

— F.  W.  Faher. 

'He  that  doeth  the  will  of  God  abideth  forever." 

— John,  the  Apostle. 

"The  lives  which  seem  so  poor,  so  low. 
The  hearts  which  are  so  cramped  and  dull, 
The  baffled  hopes,  the  impulse  slow ; 
Thou  takest,  touchest  all,  and  lo ! 
They  blossom  to  the  beautiful." 


VII 
THE  INDIVIDUAL  AND  GOD'S  PLAN 

THE  one  possession  of  every  individual  is 
life.    Not  all  have  wealth.    Not  all  have 
social  position.     Not  all  have  education. 
But  every  person  in  this  world  is  at  least 
the  possessor  of  life. 

No  theme  is  of  greater  interest  to  each  indi-  My  Life, 
vidual  than  that  which  deals  with  his  life.  "I 
want  to  make  the  most  of  my  life."  "It  will  ruin 
my  life."  "I  am  going  to  put  my  life  into  this 
work!"  How  often  we  hear  such  remarks,  and 
the  entire  thought  of  the  speaker  centers  in  the 
life  which  he  calls  his.  There  is  here  an  anxiety, 
a  sort  of  terrible  earnestness,  which  belongs  not 
only  to  youth,  but  also  to  the  consideration  of 
anything  that  is  supremely  important.  And  life 
is  a  supremely  important  subject:  my  life  to  me; 
your  Hfe  to  you.  We  each  have  but  one  life  to 
live  and  we  do  not  want  that  to  be  a  mere  experi- 
ment ;  a  mere  attempt  at  trying  to  fit  a  square  peg 
into  a  round  hole,  or  a  round  peg  into  a  square 
hole. 

What  makes  the  problem  of  life  all  the  more 

163 


164      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 
So  Many  Pos-  difficult  and  trying,  is  the  fact  that,  in  this  age  of 

slbilities.  J      a^  . 

freedom  and  opportunity,  we  may  start  out  m  so 
many  different  directions.  So  many  professions 
and  callings,  so  many  different  ideals  and  types  of 
life!  We  may  be  drawn  to  some  one  of  these, 
attracted  to  it  by  our  tastes  or  talents  or  ambi- 
tions. But  the  way  is  long  and  circuitous.  The 
pathway  often  climbs  steep  hills  and  is  rough. 
Shall  we  be  equal  to  the  task?  Shall  we  be  able 
to  stand  the  heat  of  the  day,  and  the  labor  of  the 
journey,  and  arrive  at  the  goal?  Or  are  we  to 
fail,  and  to  find,  at  the  last,  our  lives  cast  with 
other  lives  on  the  scrap  heap  of  the  world's  fail- 
ures ?  Where  shall  we  get  help  in  answering  this 
question?    Will  we  get  help  from  the  Book? 

An  Individual  Life  Plan 

p?an  ^^^  ^  There  is  revealed  in  the  Word  of  God  a  truth, 

whose  beauty  and  power  have  made  it  the  theme 
of  many  sermons.^  It  is  the  most  magnificent 
conception  of  human  life  found  anywhere  in  the 
world.  It  is  the  conception  that  God  has  an  in- 
dividual life  plan  for  each  of  His  children.  Again 
and  again,  do  we  see  the  children  of  God  living  in 
the  full  assurance  of  this  truth.  To  his  brothers 
who  with  evil  intentions  had  sold  him  as  a  slave, 
Joseph  declared,  "Now  it  was  not  you  that  sent 

^  Bushnell's   Sermon,    "Every   Man's   Life  a  Plan  of  God." 


THE  INDIVIDUAL  AND  GOD'S  PLAN.  165 

me  hither,  but  God."  To  David  came  the  mes- 
sage of  Jehovah  by  the  prophet  Nathan,  "Thus 
saith  Jehovah  of  hosts,  I  took  thee  from  the 
sheepcote,  from  following  the  sheep,  that  thou 
shouldest  be  prince  over  My  people,  over  Israel ; 
and  I  have  been  with  thee  whithersoever  thou 
wentest."  Of  Cyrus,  it  was  written  by  prophetic 
pen,  'Thus  saith  Jehovah  to  Hlis  anointed,  to 
Cyrus,  whose  right  hand  I  have  holden  ... 
I  have  called  thee  by  thy  name :  I  have  surnamed 
thee  ....  I  will  gird  thee."  Of  John  the 
Baptist  it  is  written,  "There  came  a  man,  sent 
from  God,  whose  name  was  John."  And  Paul 
inscribes  himself  "an  apostle  of  Christ  Jesus 
through  the  will  of  God."  For  each  of  His  chil- 
dren God  has  a  life  plan.  Up  yonder  in  the  mind 
and  thought  of  God,  already  worked  out,  is  a 
plan  for  the  individual  life. 

Paul,  perhaps,  more  than  any  other,  unfolds  Paul's  Aim. 
this  splendid  conception  of  life.  Writing  to  the 
Philippians,  he  says,  "I  press  on  toward  the  goal 
unto  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in 
Christ  Jesus." '  That  "high  calling  of  God"  was 
the  divine  plan  for  his  life.  Paul  had  accepted 
that  plan.  His  great  ambition  now  was  to  re- 
alize that  plan  in  every  detail. 

But  is  not  this  too  daring  a  conception  of  life?  ^^^pj^ous?" 
Was  not  Paul  a  bit  presumptuous  in  thinking 

a  Phil.  3:  14. 


i66      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

that  his  life  could  find  a  distinct  place  in  the  will 
and  mind  of  God,  that  his  life  work  could  occupy 
the  thought  of  God,  and  that  he,  Paul,  had  been 
separately,  individually,  specially  called  of  God? 
Who  was  he?  Lord  Kelvin  "reckons  that  there 
must  be  a  thousand  million  suns  and  planets  in 
space !  In  this  measureless  ocean  of  star- 
thronged  space,  our  little  earth  is  but  a  pin- 
point. If  God,  says  one  despairing  astronomer, 
dispatched  one  of  His  angels  to  discover  this 
tiny  planet  amongst  the  glittering  hosts  of  His 
stars,  it  would  be  like  sending  a  child  out  upon 
some  vast  prairie  to  find  a  speck  of  sand  at  the 
root  of  some  blade  of  grass."  And  Paul  was 
just  one  of  a  thousand  million  human  beings  liv- 
ing upon  this  pin-point  of  a  planet.  How  could 
the  Great  Creator  of  the  whole  universe  give 
separate  thought  to  Paul's  life,  or  even  to  the 
greatest  movements  of  human  life? 

"What  is  it  all  but  the  murmur  of  gnats 
In  the  gleam  of  a  million,  million  suns !" 

Dare  to  Be-  Yet  Paul  would  dare  to  believe  that  God  had 

lieve  it. 

a  plan  for  his  life.  Nay,  Paul  was  forced  to  be- 
lieve this,  unless  he  should  reject  the  profound- 
est  spiritual  experiences  of  his  life.  Did  not 
Christ  seek  him  out  on  the  Damascus  road  and 
say  to  him,  "To  this  end  have  I  appeared  unto 
thee"?     Had    not    the    divinely    commissioned 


THE  INDIVIDUAL  AND  GOD's  PLAN.  1 67 

Ananias  brought  unto  him  the  message,  ''The 
God  of  our  fathers  hath  appointed  thee  to  know 
His  will."  God  then  had  a  will  for  Paul,  a  plan 
for  his  life,  a  purpose  for  him  to  accomplish. 
Paul  would  not  only  believe  this,  he  would  sur- 
render his  life  henceforth  to  the  realization  of 
that  divine  will.  "I  press  on  toward  the  goal 
unto  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God." 

Nor  is  it  in  a  spirit  of  egotism  that  Paul  re- 
cords this  inspiring  truth,  as  though  God  had  se- 
lected him  alone  among  men  and  conceived  a 
plan  for  his  life  only.  Not  so.  Was  Paul  called 
of  God?  So  were  others.  Paul  was  heaven- 
sent, but  all  men  are  heaven-sent  if  they  only 
knew  it.  It  was  to  share  with  others  the  com- 
fort, the  hope,  the  inspiration  of  this  truth, — a 
truth  applicable  to  human  life  everywhere — that 
he  makes  record  of  it  in  his  letter  to  the  Phil- 
ippians. 

There  is  then,  no  more  inspiring  conception 
of  life  than  this :  That  God  has  a  plan  for  every 
life;  a  separate  plan  for  each  separate  life ;  a  plan 
suited  and  fitted  to  each  separate  life ;  a  plan  pos- 
sible of  realization  by  each  separate  life;  a  plan 
for  your  life  and  a  plan  for  mine. 

Advantages  of  this  Conception 

No  conception  of  life  will  deliver  us  so  fully  ^^^i^ided^ 
from  the  danger  of  base  imitation  of  other  lives. 


i68      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

Htere  is  a  common  danger.  We  come  under  the 
influence  of  dominating  personalities,  and,  con- 
sciously or  unconsciously,  our  lives  become  awk- 
ward copies  and  false  reproductions  of  these 
lives.  Or,  seeking  to  deliver  ourselves  from  the 
influence  of  our  environment,  we  fall  into  the 
opposite  fault  and  become  eccentric.  Paul's  con- 
ception of  life  offers  a  separate  plan  for  each  life. 
It  is  only  human  plans  that  are  monotonously 
alike.  God's  plans  show  variety.  No  two  are 
alike.  God  uses  the  pattern  once,  then  throws 
away  the  moulding  thought.  Christ  will  not 
suifer  Peter  to  become  a  John,  and  when  Peter 
seeks  to  pry  into  John's  future  by  asking,  "And 
what  shall  this  man  do,"  the  sharp  rebuke  is  ad- 
ministered, "What  is  that  to  thee?  Follow  thou 
Me." 

"Men  look  about  on  other  men, 
And  some  behold  with  talents  ten. 
Alas!  what  further  use  to  live, 
For  Gk)d  to  us  but  five  did  give? 

"Don't  waste  thy  life  in  idle  tears, 
Because  an  abler  man  appears, 
But  be  thyself!" 

And  can  a  man  be  himself  more  truly  than  in 
realizing  the  plan  of  God  for  him  ? 
lAtl^  *°  ^^*^^      This  conception  of  life  brings  also  the  assur- 
ance of  a  life-calling  for  which  we  are  fitted. 


THE  INDIVIDUAL  AND  GOD's  PLAN.  169 

We  often  find  men  following  professions  for 
which  they  are  manifestly  unfitted.  Business 
men  who  ought  to  have  been  preachers,  preach- 
ers who  ought  to  have  been  teachers,  teachers 
who  ought  to  have  been  lawyers.  Parents  may 
be  careful  in  the  choice  of  a  life-work  for  their 
children,  yet  we  all  doubtless  know  of  fatal  mis- 
takes made  by  loving  parents  who  have  forced 
their  children  into  professions  for  which  they 
were  unfitted.  Neither  does  a  man  fully  know 
himself.  His  own  judgment  may  err.  Moses 
said  to  God,  ''Oh,  Lord,  I  am  not  eloquent. 
Send,  I  pray  Thee,  by  the  hand  of  him  whom 
Thou  wilt  send."  The  book  of  Deuteronomy 
and  the  history  of  Israel  prove  that  Moses  did 
not  know  his  own  powers  of  speech  and  of  lead- 
ership, but  God  knew  them  when  He  called  him 
to  become  the  deliverer  of  Israel.  He  Who  cre- 
ated man  and  knows  what  is  in  man,  He  Who 
holds  the  future  in  His  hand  and  disposes  of  the 
providences  of  men's  lives,  He  it  is  Who  can, 
and  He  alone  can,  issue  to  every  life  a  high  call- 
ing which  will  be  measured  to  the  talents  and  the 
gifts,  the  strength  and  the  ability  of  that  life. 

This  conception  of  life  also  gives  dignity  to  Dignifies  Life, 
all  the  details  of  life.    The  humbler  duties  of  life, 
if  you  are  following  God's  plan,  are  a  part  of 
God's  will,  and  as  such,  are  worthy  of  the  most 
faithful  performance.     If  imprisonment,  if  sick- 


170   GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 

ness,  if  delays  came  to  Paul  as  he  pressed  toward 
his  high  calling,  what  matter?  He  could  afford 
to  wait  as  well  as  labor.  He  could  afford  to  lie 
still  and  suffer  as  well  as  be  active.  These  ex- 
periences were  a  part  of  God's  will  for  him. 
A  ^Moslem  xhe  Mohammedans  tell  the  story  that  Gabriel, 

while  standing  by  the  open  gates  of  gold,  was 
sent  by  God  on  a  double  errand.  The  one  was  to 
remind  King  Solomon  of  the  hour  of  prayer 
which  he  was  in  danger  of  forgetting  on  an  oc- 
casion of  victory.  The  other  was  to  help  a  little 
ant,  grown  weary  in  search  of  food  and  in  dan- 
ger of  being  swept  away  by  the  rain.  To  Ga- 
briel both  duties  were  of  kingly  dignity,  for  both 
were  God's  commands. 

"Silently  he  left  the  Presence  and  prevented  the  King's 

sin, 
And  helped  the  little  ant  at  entering  in. 
Naught  is  too  high  or  low, 
Too  mean  or  mighty,  if  God  wills  it  so." 

So  often  defeated  in  the  little  struggles  of  life, 
so  often  unfaithful  in  the  little  duties  of  life,  so 
often  disheartened  by  the  little  vexations  of  life, 
do  we  not  need  the  inspiring  and  inspiriting  in- 
fluence of  this  conception  of  life,  which  lifts  the 
humblest  duty  out  of  the  commonplace  and  gives 
it  a  place  in  the  divine  will  and  purpose? 

This  conception  of  life  has  the  supreme  ad- 


THE   INDIVIDUAL  AND  GOD'S   PLAN.  I7I 

vantage  that  it  imparts  an  assurance  of  success,  success  As- 
To  the  man  who  is  following  the  plan  of  God 
for  him,  defeat  and  failure  are  impossible.  No 
matter  what  may  be  the  opposition,  he  has  God 
on  his  side ;  and  one  with  God  is  a  majority.  No 
matter  what  odds  he  is  facing,  victory  is  assured, 
for  he  is  joined  to  the  Invincible  One.  With 
Paul,  he  may  exclaim,  'If  God  is  for  us,  who  is 
against  us?" 

If,  now,  we  wish  to  make  this  divine  plan  the 
great  aim  of  our  lives,  an  important  question 
presses  upon  us. 

The  Discovery  of  the  Plan 

How  may  I  discover  the  high  calling  of  God?  ^^  ^'^^'^'^ 
If  it  be  true  that  God  has  a  plan  for  my  life, 
how  may  I  discover  what  that  plan  is  ? 

It  is  Paul  again  who  will  give  us  the  answer 
to  such  a  question.  His  answer  is  foimd  in  these 
three  words:  "In  Christ  Jesus." 

It  is  true  that  much  light  comes  to  us  from  the  Lesser  Helps, 
advice  of  friends.  The  opinions  of  the  people 
of  God  often  reflect  truly  the  will  of  God.  We 
are  also  often  guided  helpfully  by  unusual  provi- 
dences in  our  lives,  those  occurrences  over  which 
we  have  no  control,  but  which  show  forth  the  will 
of  God  because  they  are  ordered  by  Him.  It  is 
also  true  that  many  helpful  principles  are  to  be 


172      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 


The    Suprem© 
Guide. 


Monotony. 


found  in  the  Scriptures;  the  Word  of  God  re- 
veals the  will  of  God.  But  we  find  the  heart  of 
divine  revelation  in  these  words:  ''God  .  .  . 
hath  spoken  unto  us  in  His  Son." 

After  all,  the  inferences  which  we  shall  draw 
from  the  advice  of  friends,  from  the  providences 
of  our  lives,  from  the  statements  of  the  Word  of 
God,  will  all  depend  upon  our  attitude  to  Jesus 
Christ.  In  a  profound  and  comprehensive  sense, 
therefore,  the  revelation  to  each  man  of  the  plan 
of  God  for  him  is  '4n  Christ  Jesus." 

Does  some  one  object  that  thus  a  strange  mo- 
notony will  overtake  human  life,  as  one,  and  an- 
other, and  another,  take  Jesus  Christ  as  the  pat- 
tern of  their  lives?  Let  us  go  out  then  into  the 
fields  and  view  the  handiwork  of  God.  Here  is 
the  rose  with  its  beautiful  red,  and  here  the  vio- 
let with  its  delicate  hue,  and  yonder  on  the  hill- 
side the  grass  with  its  softest  shades  of  green. 
Where  did  these  get  their  coloring?  You  say 
from  the  sun.  But  the  Hght  of  the  sun  is  white ; 
not  red,  not  violet,  not  green.  Yes,  but  in  the 
pure  white  light  of  the  sun  the  rose  found  what 
it  needed  to  make  it  red,  the  violet  found  what 
it  needed  to  give  it  its  hue,  the  grass  found  what 
it  needed  to  m.ake  it  green.  So  Christ  is  the 
Light  of  the  World!  In  the  light  of  His  Hfe, 
rich  and  poor,  old  and  young,  learned  and  un- 
learned, men,  women  and  children,  all  find  what 


THE  INDIVIDUAL  AND  GOD'S  PLAN.  1 73 

is  needed  to  reveal  to  each  life  its  perfect  type, 
and  to  enable  each  life  to  realize  its  perfect  ideal. 
The  revelation  of  the  high  calling  of  God  for 
each  life  is  "in  Christ  Jesus." 

Perhaps  some  one  says,  "But  I  have  not  been 
able  to  get  in  Christ  a  vision  of  what  my  life 
should  be.  My  high  calling  has  not  yet  been  re- 
vealed to  me."  So  we  may  well  ask  how  we 
must  come  to  Christ  to  discover  in  Him  God's 
plan  for  our  individual  lives. 

First  of  all,  we  must  come  to  Christ  as  to  a  ^».  ^^s^ 

.  .  Priest. 

High  Priest.  There  is  no  revelation  of  the  will 
of  God,  until  sacrifice  has  been  offered,  and  sins 
have  been  taken  away,  and  the  past  has  been  for- 
given. 

"My  soul  is  sailing  through  the  sea, 
But  the  Past  is  heavy  and  hindereth  me, 
The  Past  hath  crusted,  cumbrous  shells, 
That  hold  the  flesh  of  old  sea-mells 

About  my  soul. 
The  huge  waves  wash,  the  high  waves  roll 
Each  barnacle  cHngeth  and  worketh  dole, 

And  hindereth  me  from  sailing! 
Old  Past,  let  go  and  drop  i'  the  sea 
Till  fathomless  waters  cover  thee! 
For  I  am  living,  but  thou  art  dead ; 
Thou  drawest  back,  I  strive  ahead 

The  day  to  find." 

It  is  only  as  we  get  release  from  the  past 
through   our   High    Priest,   that   we   can   come. 


174   GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 

through  Him  also,  to  a  knowledge  of  the  will  of 
God  for  us. 

As  Lord.  In  the  second  place,  we  must  come  to  Christ 

as  to  a  Lord  and  King.  He  does  not  reveal  the 
divine  plan  to  the  merely  curious.  "If  any  man 
willeth  (i.  e.,  is  willing)  to  do  His  will,  he  shall 
know  of  the  teaching"  (John  7:  17).  The  will 
of  God  is  only  for  those  who  come  with  surren- 
dered wills,  purposing  to  obey  the  command  of 
their  Lord  and  King,  the  moment  it  is  revealed. 

As  Prophet.  In  the  third  place,  we  must  come  to  Christ  as 

to  a  Prophet,  finding  in  His  life  the  underlying 
principle  of  God's  revelation  for  our  individual 
lives.  This  is  what  Christ  Himself  said:  ''As 
the  Father  hath  sent  Me,  even  so  send  I  you" 
(John  20:  21).  Now  for  what  did  the  Father 
send  Christ  into  the  world?  We  must  find  that 
out.  It  holds  the  secret  of  our  life-calling.  Did 
the  Father  send  Christ  into  the  world  to  enjoy 
life?  We  may  be  sure  the  beauties  of  this  world 
were  never  so  beautiful  as  in  His  eyes. 

"The  olives  they  were  not  blind  to  Him, 
The  little  gray  leaves  were  kind  to  Him, 
The  thorn-tree  had  a  mind  to  Him, 
When  into  the  woods  He  came." 


But  we  will  all  agree  that  Jesus  Christ  did  not 
come  into  this  world  to  enjoy  life.  Did  the 
Father  send  Him,  then,  into  the  world  to  develop 


THE  INDIVIDUAL  AND  GOD  S  PLAN.  1 75 

character?  So  many  Christians  think  this  is  the 
great  aim  of  life  here  on  earth.  Thank  God,  we 
do  develop  character  here,  being  transformed 
from  one  degree  of  glory  into  another  degree  of 
glory  into  the  image  of  our  Lord.  But  is  this  the 
chief  purpose  of  life  here  on  earth?  Was  it 
Christ's?  We  do  not  know  what  the  Incarna- 
tion may  have  meant  to  the  Godhead,  but  we  can 
safely  say  that  Jesus  Christ  was  not  sent  into  this 
world  to  develop  character. 

Why,  then,  was  He  sent?    We  must  find  out,  why  was  He 

,  .  sent  ? 

for  it  holds  the  secret  of  God's  plan  for  our  lives. 
He  Himself  tells  us,  "The  Son  of  man  came  to 
seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost"  (Luke  19: 

10). 

''As  the  Father  hath  sent  Me,  even  so  send  I 
you," — "to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost." 
Every  life,  then,  is  to  be  built  into  the  great  re- 
demptive purpose  of  God.  The  plan  of  God  for 
every  individual  life  is  related  to  the  great 
Plan  for  World  Redemption.  What  a  concep- 
tion this  is !  My  life  finds  a  place  in  the  great 
Plan  for  World  Redemption  which  is  sweeping 
through  the  centuries.  My  life  becomes  related 
to  its  triumphs  in  the  past  and  to  its  glories  in  the 
future.  A  great  redemptive  arch  is  being  built, 
which  spans  Time  and  reaches  into  Eternity. 
Christ  is  the  keystone  of  that  arch,  but  my  life 


176 

may  also  be  built  into  it  somewhere,  if  I  will  ac- 
cept God's  plan  for  my  individual  life. 
Not  all  This  does  not  mean  that  all  men  are  called  to 

Preachers.  .  ,         .      .  .  •,  ,  , 

be  preachers  or  formal  missionaries,  although 
undoubtedly  many  are.  But  it  does  mean  that, 
whatever  the  profession  and  calling, — medicine, 
business,  law,  industry,  home  life,  teaching, — the 
life  shall  be  somehow  related,  and  related  fully 
and  directly,  to  God's  great  Plan  for  redeeming 
humanity.  The  high  calling  of  God  "in  Christ 
Jesus"  was  revealed  to  Ian  Keith  Falconer,  and 
for  him  it  meant  to  lay  aside  his  literary  work  at 
Cambridge  and  go  forth  to  Arabia,  there  to  live 
and  there  to  die  as  a  herald  of  the  cross.  It  was 
revealed  to  Charles  Gordon,  and  for  him  it  meant 
to  be  a  Christian  soldier,  repressing  rebellion, 
overthrowing  slavery,  and  at  last  making  a  su- 
preme appeal  to  the  Church  and  the  Christian 
world  for  the  redemption  of  the  Sudan  by  his 
martyr  death  at  Khartum.  It  was  revealed  to 
Dr.  Bernardo,  and  for  him  it  meant  to  go  into 
the  East  End  of  London  during  the  cholera  scare 
of  1866,  and,  finding  his  first  waif,  to  conceive  a 
plan  for  rescuing  outcasts,  establishing  innumer- 
able homes  and  saving  over  sixty  thousand  boys 
and  girls.  It  was  revealed  to  William  Carey, 
and  it  led  the  cobbler  to  India,  there  to  become  a 
linguist,  a  translator,  a  teacher,  a  missionary.  It 
was  revealed  to  Mary  Hunter,  and  it  meant  that 


THE  INDIVIDUAL  AND  GOD  S  PLAN.  I'JJ 

she  should  be  the  mother  and  inspirer  of  David 
Livingstone,  who  set  in  motion  forces  for  heal- 
ing the  ''open  sore"  of  Africa. 

Beyond  this  we  may  not  go  in  defining  the  life 
plans  of  God  for  men,  but  thus  far  we  may  con- 
fidently go  and  assert  that  no  life  which  stands 
unrelated  to  God's  great  redemptive  purpose  is 
following  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus. 

The  Realization  of  the  Plan 

Still  another  question  demands  an  answer.  It 
is  this,  Knowing  God's  plan  for  my  individual 
life,  how  may  I  realize  it?  Three  general  an- 
swers to  that  question  may  be  given,  although 
the  details  must  vary  with  each  life  and  with  the 
changing  circumstances  of  life. 

I.  To  realize  the  divine  plan  will  require,  first  preparation, 
of  all.  Preparation.  In  God's  World  Plan  we 
found  a  Period  of  Preparation.  So  too,  in  His 
plan  for  the  individual  life,  there  will  be  days  of 
preparation.  God  grant  that  increasingly  the 
vision  of  God's  plan  may  come  to  young  men  and 
women,  who  are  yet  in  that  period  of  life  in 
which  they  may  best  make  preparation  for  the 
realization  of  the  divine  plan  for  their  lives !  It 
makes  it  possible  for  God  to  work  so  much  more 
powerfully  and  so  much  more  gloriously  when 
His  plan  has  been  recognized  in  the  early  years 

12 


178      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

of  life,  which  were  especially  meant  to  be  days 
of  preparation,  although  also  days  of  practice. 
How  much  of  preparation  Jesus  Christ  made  for 
the  plan  of  God  for  His  life !  Some  thirty  years 
were  spent  quietly  at  Nazareth,  during  which  He 
''advanced  in  wisdom  and  stature,  and  in  favor 
with  God  and  man."  Surely  there  was  need  for 
haste  in  His  performance  of  His  mission!  Why 
not  plunge  into  His  life-work  at  twenty-one? 
Our  age,  with  its  foolish,  feverish  haste,  needs  to 
learn  that  God's  appointed  time  for  preparation  is 
"time  saved,"  if  we  would  realize  the  divine  plan. 
Physical.  There  must  be  physical  preparation.    Out  yon- 

der in  the  heart  of  the  years  to  come  are  burdens 
to  be  carried,  and  battles  to  be  fought,  and  vigils 
to  be  kept,  and  great  strain  to  be  endured,  and 
for  these,  physical  strength  is  required.  Given 
equal  powers  otherwise,  victory  goes  to  the  man 
whose  physical  strength  enables  him  to  carry 
great  burdens  without  breaking.  ''How  often  is 
it,"  said  a  speaker  at  a  great  convention,  "that 
some  self-denial  in  the  way  of  food,  exercise,  or 
time  of  going  to  bed  or  getting  up,  some  habit  not 
evil  in  itself  perhaps,  may  change  under  God  our 
whole  work  for  Him.  The  other  day  I  was  din- 
ing at  a  house  in  England  and  one  of  the  daugh- 
ters, a  girl  of  about  seventeen,  came  up  to  say 
'Good-night.'  I  remarked  that  she  was  going 
up    early — soon    after    nine.      Her    reply    was: 


THE  INDIVIDUAL  AND  GOD'S  PLAN.  I79 

'Father  says  that  I  must  have  eight  hours  in  bed, 
as  I  have  not  been  strong ;  and  every  five  minutes 
that  I  spend  after  ten  o'clock  in  getting  to  bed, 
means  that  I  have  five  minutes  less  with  God  be- 
fore breakfast'." 

There  must  also  be  intellectual  development,  intellectual. 
The  Christian  religion  is  the  profoundest  religion 
in  the  world:  the  best  intellectual  development  is 
needed  to  grasp  and  present  its  truths.  The 
world  missionary  enterprise  is  the  most  colossal 
enterprise  that  has  ever  been  launched  in  human 
life :  the  best  intellectual  development  is  needed  in 
all  who  would  relate  their  lives  to  its  activities. 
When  the  Church  at  Antioch  sent  forth  mission- 
aries, it  was  not  their  second  rate  or  third  rate 
men  who  went,  but  their  best  and  strongest,  Paul 
and  Barnabas.  Only  our  best  intellectual  devel- 
opment will  suffice  for  the  splendid  projects 
which  God  commits  to  humanity  for  realization. 

There  must  also  be  spiritual  development.  This  spiritual, 
means  cleanness  of  life.  "Know  ye  not  that  ye 
are  a  temple  of  God,  and  that  the  Spirit  of  God 
dwelleth  in  you  ?  If  any  man  destroyeth  the  tem- 
ple of  God,  him  shall  God  destroy"  (I  Cor.  3: 
16).  Alas,  how  many  spiritual  battles  have  been 
lost,  because  this  moral  and  spiritual  preparation 
was  neglected.  Happy  the  man  who  can  enter  the 
conflict  with  the  reassuring  confidence : 


i8o      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 


Service. 


Witnessing. 


"My  strength  is  as  the  strength  of  ten, 
Because  my  heart  is  pure." 

Spiritual  development  will  also  mean  a  direct 
and  personal  acquaintance  with  God.  God's  plan 
can  be  carried  forward  only  by  God's  strength, 
and  how  shall  that  man  renew  his  strength,  who 
knows  not  the  secret  of  approach  to  God.  As  he 
goes  out  to  realize  the  plan  of  God  for  his  life,  he 
will  find  others  "already  under  the  fullest  strain. 
He  dare  not  draw  on  them  for  spiritual  life.  If 
he  has  no  springs  in  him  where  the  Living  Water 
is  flowing,  woe  to  him !  Can  he  give  to  others  if 
his  own  supply  is  scant?" 

Physical,  intellectual  and  spiritual  preparation 
is  needed  to  help  us  realize  God's  plan  for  the  in- 
dividual life. 

2.  In  the  second  place,  to  realize  God's  plan 
there  must  be  Service. 

One  form  of  service  is  witnessing.  In  the  life 
of  the  early  Church,  we  noted  what  a  supreme 
place  this  had,  and  we  noted  how  this  witnessing 
was  the  secret  of  the  growth  of  the  Church.  A 
marvelous  prominence  is  given  to  this  Christian 
duty  in  a  verse  of  Revelation :  "And  they  over- 
came him,  because  of  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  and 
because  of  the  word  of  their  testimony;  and  they 
loved  not  their  life  even  unto  death"  (Rev.  12: 
10).    God's  World  Plan  of  Redem.ption  can  never 


ACROSS  THE 
SEA 


97 

LIVES 


AVERAGE  RESPONSIBILITY 

The  average  responsibility  of  every  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church 
is   illustrated   by   this   diagram.      This   responsibility   is   three   fold : 

First,  for  one's  own  life.  This  stands  at  the  center,  for  out  it  are  the  issues 
of   life-giving   service. 

Second,  for  three  other  lives,  in  America.  Census  figures  show  that  for  every 
member  of  an  evangelical  Christian  Church  in  America,  there  are  three  who 
are    not    professing    Christians.     Responsibilty    extends   to  these. 

Third,  for  ninety-seven  lives  across  the  sea.  Of  these  some  fifty-eight  are 
in    Egypt,    some   thirty-three   are   in   India,    and   six   are   in    Sudan. 

This  is  the  average  life's  responsibility.  Would  you  want  your  life  reckoned 
as  being  below  the  average?  What,  then,  are  you  doing  to  discharge  this  aver- 
age responsibility?  Some  will  shirk.  Will  you?  And  because  some  will  shirk, 
others   must   carry   more   than   the   average   responsibilitv.      Will   you? 


THE  INDIVIDUAL  AND  GOD's  PLAN.  l8l 

be  realized  by  organized  missions,  unless  God's 
plan  for  the  individual  life  be  realized  also  in  wit- 
nessing. "Every  believer  a  soul-winner — that 
does  not  mean  only,  among  other  things,  but  first 
of  all,  as  the  chief  reason  of  his  existence.  In 
every  believer,  the  supreme,  the  sole  end  of  our 
being  is,  the  saving  of  souls."  ^  How  greatly  we 
need  to  learn  this  truth  in  Western  Lands !  What 
a  contrast  to  our  dimib  Christianity  is  the  wit- 
nessing joy  and  the  witnessing  power  of  the  con- 
verts of  so  many  mission  fields.  Let  Korean 
Christianity  preach  to  us:  "Thousands  of  them 
last  year  gave  from  one  week  to  one  month  each 
to  the  work  of  proclaiming  the  Gospel  in  neigh- 
boring and  in  distant  communities.  It  is  probable 
that  a  larger  proportion  of  Korean  Christians 
have  won  others  to  Christ  than  of  those  in  the 
Church  of  any  other  land.  Often  the  test  ques- 
tion in  connection  with  admission  to  Church 
membership  is,  'Have  you  led  some  other  soul  to 
Jesus  Christ?'  "* 

Another  form  of  service  is  stezvardship.    This  stewardship, 
is  the  service  which  money  makes  possible.    And 
what  is  a  true  conception  of  money?  Dr.  Schauff- 
ler   says:   "Money   is   myself."     Then   he   illus- 
trates after  this  fashion:  I  am  a  day  laborer;  I 

3  A.  Murray's  "The  Key  to  the  Missionary  Problem,"  page 
141. 

*  J.  R.  Mott's  "The  Decisive  Hour  of  Christian  Missions," 
page  77. 


1 82      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

get  two  dollars  a  day ;  the  two  dollars  which  I  put 
in  my  pocket  at  the  close  of  the  day  is  two  dollars' 
worth  of  my  muscle,  turned  into  money  and  put 
in  my  pocket.  Or  I  am  a  clerk  and  I  get  twenty 
dollars  a  week.  The  money  I  get  on  Saturday 
night  represents  twenty  dollars  worth  of  myself 
as  clerk.  Or  I  am  a  merchant;  I  balance  my 
books  at  the  end  of  the  week  and  I  find  myself 
one  thousand  dollars  to  the  good.  That  one  thou- 
sand dollar  check  that  I  may  draw  represents  one 
thousand  dollars'  worth  of  myself  as  merchant, 
turned  into  money  and  deposited  in  the  bank. 
Money  is,  therefore,  stored-up  life',  yesterday's 
life,  last  week's  life,  last  year's  life,  the  life  of  a 
past  generation, 
stored-up  js^^^  j-j-^jg  stored-up  life  belongs  to  the  owner. 

It  is  his  as  truly  as  his  own  Hfe  is  his.  He  can 
put  it  to  work,  just  as  he  might  put  himself  to 
work,  and  the  stored-up  life  will  work  and  do 
things  to  the  limit  of  its  capacity  just  as  the  man 
himself  can  work  to  the  limit  of  his  capacity.  The 
only  difference  between  the  man  and  his  money  is, 
that  the  man  represents  to-day's  working  power 
and  the  money  represents  yesterday's  working 
power.    And  the  man  controls  both. 

Because  of  this  fact,  there  is  no  real  consecra- 
tion of  life  to  God  without  the  consecration  of 
such  money  or  wealth  as  is  owned.  To  consecrate 
the  life  without  money  is  virtually  to  say :  "Here, 


THE  INDIVIDUAL  AND  GOD's  PLAN.  1 83 

Lord,  I  give  to  Thee  that  part  of  myself  which 
relates  to  to-day,  but  that  which  relates  to  yes- 
terday I  keep  as  my  own." 

Because  money  is  life,   the  will  of   God  ex-  Money  and 

•^        ,    .       \  ,  ,  .  ,  God's  Will. 

tends  to  it,  too,  and  it  also  must  be  subjected 
absolutely  to  Christ  as  Lord.  It  also  enters 
into  God's  great  Plan  for  World  Redemption. 

Money  is  therefore  no  more  to  be  despised,  or 
wasted,  or  ignored,  than  is  breath,  or  intellect, 
or  talent.  It  is  to  be  used.  This  stored-up  life 
can  be  sent  to  distant  places  and  released  in 
work.  It  will  build  school  houses ;  it  will  plant 
churches;  it  will  establish  hospitals;  it  will 
preach  the  Gospel.  And  in  every  such  act,  it  is 
the  owner's  life  which  is  being  projected  to  these 
distant  lands.  His  feet  thus  move  about  in 
places  of  need;  his  hands  minister  to  human 
want ;  his  lips  speak  the  glad  tidings  to  lives  whom 
he  has  never  known,  but  into  whose  faces  he  will 
yet  gaze  in  the  Kingdom  of  Light.  The  obliga- 
tion therefore  on  every  life  related  to  Christ  is, 
"Go  or  send."  And  it  has  been  well  pointed  out 
by  Dr.  J.  D.  Rankin  that  from  the  point  of  view 
of  surrender  and  sacrifice,  sending  should  in- 
volve just  as  much  as  going. 

Over  this  part  of  human  life,  which  has  ever  The  Titne. 
had  such  a  tendency  to  escape  from  its  proper 
submission  to  the  divine  will,  God  has  set  the 
tithe  as  a  symbol  and  seal  of  His  sovereignty. 


184      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

This  symbol  of  divine  sovereignty  may  be  lost  in 
a  joyful  surrender  to  service  which  goes  far  be- 
yond the  ordinance  of  the  tithe.  But  it  is  at  his 
peril,  if  not  to  his  condemnation,  that  a  man  will 
venture  to  remove  from  his  life  this  sign  of 
God's  sovereignty  over  his  possessions,  and  give 
less  to  the  Lord  than  the  tithe.  Like  a  shield  of 
burnished  gold  shines  the  law  of  the  tithe 
through  the  story  of  sacred  history  from  Gene- 
sis "  to  Malachi/  While  in  the  New  Testament, 
to  a  tithe-observing  age,  the  messages  of  Christ 
and  of  the  Apostles  point  to  that  deeper  fellow- 
ship with  God  which  will  subject,  not  less,  but 
more  to  His  service  and  to  His  redemptive  pur- 
.  ,..poses.^ 
Prayer.  ^     Another   form   of   service   is   that  of  prayer. 

Prayer  is  work.  It  is  work  in  that  it  does  things. 
It  is  also  work  in  that  it  is  exhausting.  Such 
prayer,  however,  is  something  more  than  what 
commonly  goes  by  that  name.  It  is  more  than 
an  impulse.  It  is  more  than  an  emotion.  It  is 
an  activity  which  has  its  root  in  the  will.  It  is 
an  activity  which  a  Spirit-guided  human  will  en- 
gages in,  laying  hold  of  God  for  blessings.'  Such 
prayer  may  become  a  great  agony  in  its  earnest- 
ness.*   We  recall  the  words  of  J.  Hudson  Taylor, 


■Gen.  14: 

:   20. 

«Mal.   3:   10. 

^Matt.  5: 

20;  23: 

23; 

13: 

44-46  ;  I  Cor.  16  : 

2. 

*  Rom.   8  : 

26,   27. 

9  Rom.  9  :   1,  2  ; 

10 

THE  INDIVIDUAL  AND  GOD's  PLAN.  1 85 

*'If  we  are  simply  to  pray  to  the  extent  of  a  sim- 
ple and  pleasant  and  enjoyable  exercise,  and 
know  nothing  of  watching  in  prayer,  we  shall 
not  draw  down  the  blessing  that  we  may." 

Now  God  has  given  prayer  a  large  place  in  the  its  Large 
relation  which  the  individual  life  may  sustain  to 
the  great  World  Plan.  There  are  many  things 
which  the  Plan  calls  for,  which  are  quite  impos- 
sible from  all  human  point  of  view.  And  God 
wants  these  impossible  things  to  occur,  and  He 
has  set  prayer  as  the  agency  by  which  the  impos- 
sible can  be  made  to  occur. 

"In  1886,  the  China  Inland  Mission  had  200  Prayer  An- 

'  swerea. 

missionaries.  A  number  of  them  met  that  year 
for  an  eight  days'  conference  for  Bible  study 
and  also  for  united  prayer.  While  they  were  to- 
gether they  were  led  to  unite  in  prayer  that  God 
would  thrust  forth  into  that  Mission  during  the 
year  100  additional  missionaries;  and  before  the 
conference  closed  one  of  them  suggested  that 
they  have  a  praise  meeting  to  thank  God  for  an- 
swering the  prayer,  because  he  said,  'We  shall 
not  all  of  us  be  able  to  come  together  for  that 
purpose  a  year  hence.'  They  did  so.  Within 
the  following  year  there  were  600  who  applied  to 
be  sent  out;  the  Mission  selected  and  sent  out 
ICXD  of  them. 

"It  required  an  increase  in  their  budget  from  Money  Secured. 
$ioo,ocx)  to  $150,000.    Hudson  Taylor  and  some 


i86      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

of  his  co-workers  have  called  attention  to  the 
fact  that  they  were  led,  on  account  of  the  pres- 
sure of  their  work,  to  offer  this  prayer,  that,  if 
it  were  the  will  of  God,  the  $50,000  needed  might 
be  received  in  large  amounts.  Within  a  year  in 
eleven  gifts,  ranging  from  $2,500  to  over  $12,- 
000,  the  whole  sum  came."  This  is  service 
through  prayer.'" 
Life.  Yet  another  form  of  service  is  that  of  life. 

Not  all  can  go,  but  all  should  be  willing  to  go. 
This  high  standard  of  loyalty  and  submission 
should  characterize  all.  Then,  some  must  go. 
Else  how  shall  the  Plan  for  World  Redemption 
be  carried  forward?  Just  because  the  World 
Plan  requires  that  many  go,  we  may  be  sure 
that  God's  individual  life-plans  for  many,  are 
that  they  shall  go.  And  if  this  be  God's  plan  for 
their  individual  lives,  they  must  break  through 
hindrances  which  would  prevent  them  from  go- 
ing. Every  circumstance  of  life  is  not  a  guid- 
ing providence.  There  are  circumstances  which 
men  are  meant  to  conquer,  if  they  would  realize 
the  divine  will  for  their  lives.  And  the  bravest 
get  through. 

"Now  to  the  common  breed,"  says  Bishop 
Brent,  "the  unwonted  is  the  impossible, — things 
as  they  have  been  are  sacred  and  must  be  held 

*"  J.  R.  Mott's  "The  Pastor  and  Modern  Missions,"  page 
195. 


The   Leader. 


THE  INDIVIDUAL  AND  GOD's  PLAN.  187 

inviolable,  and  everything  but  the  present  order 
is  disorder.  It  is  the  part  of  a  Leader  to  confute 
the  unbrave  and  to  disregard  the  worship  of 
things  as  they  are,  in  his  essay  to  reach  things  as 
they  ought  to  be.  Unknown  country  may  be 
dangerous;  lions,  perhaps,  will  be  in  the  way. 
But  the  Leader  sees  security  in  the  midst  of 
danger  and  rather  likes  lions."  " 

Lest  these  strong  words  should  seem  to  invite 
wilfulness,  we  need  only  add  that  in  the  invest- 
ment of  life  we  are  to  daily  submit  to  the  guid- 
ance of  the  Holy  Spirit  as  He  interprets  to  us  the 
will  of  God.  If  we  study  the  life  of  Paul,  we 
shall  find  he  was  guided  rather  by  the  leadings 
of  the  Spirit,  than  influenced  by  external  circum- 
stances in  life." 

3.  Finally,  there  is  a  third  requirement  for  the  Dependence  on 
realization  of  God's  plan  for  the  individual  life. 
There  must  be  not  only  preparation,  not  only 
service  in  its  fourfold  form;  there  must  also  be 
Dependence  upon  Jesus  Christ.  And  this  must 
be,  not  lastly,  but  first  and  last  and  all  the  while. 
There  must  be  this  supremely.  Going  forth  to 
realize  the  low  and  unworthy  ideals  of  our  own 
human  devising,  we  find  our  strength  insuffi- 
cient. How  then  shall  we  be  able  to  realize,  in 
our  own  strength,  the  infinite  and  perfect  plan  of 


"  C.  H.   Brent's   "Leadership,"  page  102, 

"Acts  16:   6,   7,  10;  I  Cor.  16:  9;  II  Tim.  4:  14-18. 


1 88      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

God  for  our  individual  lives?  Alone,  we  cannot 
do  it.  We  can  only  do  it  through  Him  Who  is 
not  only  the  wisdom  of  God,  but  also  the  power 
of  God.  We  can  only  do  it  through  Him  Who  is 
not  only  the  Truth,  but  also  the  Way  to  the 
Truth.  As  the  revelation  of  the  divine  plan  was 
"in  Christ  Jesus,"  so  too  must  the  realization 
of  the  plan  be  "in  Christ  Jesus."  Only  in  the 
spirit  of  those  ancient  lines,  can  we  hope  to  at- 
tain to  the  will  of  God  for  our  individual  lives : 

"Christ,  as  a  light, 
Illumine  and  guide  me ! 
Christ  as  a  shield  o'ershadow  and  cover  me ! 
Christ  be  under  me,  Christ  be  over  me ! 
Christ  be  beside  me 

On  left  hand  and  right! 
Christ  be  before  me,  behind  me,  about  me, 
Christ  this  day  be  within  and  without  me ! 

"Christ,  the  lowly  and  meek, 

Christ  the  All-Powerful,  be 
In  the  heart  of  each  to  whom  I  speak. 
In  the  mouth  of  each  who  speaks  to  me ! 
In  all  who  draw  near  me 
Or  see  me  or  hear  me." 


CHAPTER  VIII 


The  Church  and  God's  Plan 


"To  the  intent  that  now  unto  the  principalities  and 
the  powers  in  the  heavenly  places  might  be  made  known 
through  the  church  the  manifold  wisdom  of  God,  ac- 
cording to  the  eternal  purpose  which  He  purposed  in 
Christ  Jesus  our  Lord."  — Paul,  the  Apostle. 

"The  Church's  one  Foundation 
Is  Jesus  Christ  her  Lord: 
She  is  His  new  creation 

By  water  and  the  Word; 
From  heaven  He  came  and  sought  her 

To  be  His  holy  Bride, 
With  His  own  Blood  He  bought  her. 
And  for  her  life  He  died." 

— 5.  /.  Stone. 

"Be  quite  sure  that  the  place  of  missions  in  the  life 
of  the  Church  must  be  the  central  place,  and  none  other. 
That  is  what  matters.  Let  people  get  hold  of  that,  and 
it  will  tell — it  is  the  merest  commonplace  to  say  it — it 
will  tell  for  us  at  home  as  it  will  tell  for  those  afield. 
Secure  for  that  thought  its  true  place,  in  our  plans,  our 
policy,  our  prayers,  and  then — why  then,  the  issue  is 
His,  -not  ours.  But  it  may  well  be  that  if  that  come 
true,  'there  be  some  standing  here  to-night  who  shall 
not  taste  of  death  till  they  see,'— here  on  earth,  in  a 
way  we  know  not  now, — 'the  Kingdom  of  God  come 
with  power.'  "—Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  at  the  Edin- 
burgh Conference. 


VIII 
THE  CHURCH  AND  GOD'S  PLAN 


T 


HE  word  "church"  is  used  with  a  number  several  Mean- 
ings. 

of  different  meanings.  We  speak  of 
"that  church  across  the  street,"  and  we 
mean  a  building.  We  speak  of  "the 
leading  church  in  town,"  and  we  mean  not  a 
building,  but  people  who  constitute  a  congrega- 
tion. We  refer  to  "the  Methodist  Church,  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  the  United  Presbyterian 
Church,"  and  we  mean  these  denominations  or 
communions.  There  is  still  another  use  of  the 
word.  Paul  says,  "Christ  also  loved  the  Church, 
and  gave  Himself  up  for  it ;  that  He  might  sancti- 
fy it,  having  cleansed  it  by  the  washing  of  water 
with  the  Word,  that  He  might  present  the  Church 
to  Himself  a  glorious  Church."'  It  is  in  this 
sense  that  we  find  the  word  chiefly  used  in  the 
Scriptures  although  it  is  also  used  with  the  sec- 
ond meaning  already  referred  to.'  The  Church,  SLSj!"''^ 
according  to  this  larger  and  deeper  meaning,  is 
sometimes  called  the  Church  General.  It  is  "the 
spiritual  body  of  the  redeemed,  apart  from  tangi- 
ble organization,  since  no  organization  is  coex- 

lEph.  5:  25-27.  =  Gal.   1:  2. 

191 


192        GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 

tensive  with  the  Church."  In  the  Scriptures, 
very  many  beautiful  figures  are  used  to  set  forth 
the  Church  in  this  sense.  It  is  called  "the 
Bride" '  of  Christ,  'Ue  Body" '  of  Christ,  "the 
holy  city  Jerusalem."  '  Every  believer,  whatever 
his  sex,  or  age,  or  calling,  or  denomination,  or 
race,  or  nationality,  is  a  member  of  this  Church. 
His  relation  to  the  Church  is  maintained  through 
the  Holy  Spirit,  Who  abides  in  his  life  and  in  the 
lives  of  all  believers.  This  Church  is  always  one. 
Its  unity  is  maintained  by  the  Holy  Spirit  Who 
abides  in  the  life  of  every  true  believer.  When  a 
man  is  converted,  he  is  joined  to  this  body  of  be- 
lievers in  Christ.  The  Holy  Spirit  makes  him  a 
member  of  this  Church. 
The  Invisible        But  this  is  the  Church  General.     Its  or2:aniza- 

Churcb.  .         .  .   .,  .  T  ,         ,  .      .  f 

tion  IS  not  visible.  Its  membership  is  not  known, 
save  to  God.  Those  who  are  nominal  Christians 
but  who  are  not  truly  converted,  are  not  members 
of  this  Church,  even  though  they  have  their 
names  enrolled  as  members  of  a  church.  The 
value  of  this  conception  of  the  Church,  is  that  it 
emphasizes  the  essential  oneness  in  Christ  of  all 
believers.  It  ought  to  make  each  division  of  the 
Church  and  each  individual  believer  very  patient, 
very  kind  and  charitable,  very  open-minded,  and 
very  sympathetic,  in  all  relations  sustained  to- 
ward other  divisions  of  the  Church  and  other  in- 

3  Rev.   22  :   17.  *  Eph.   1  :    22,    23.       '  Rev.   21  :   10. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  GOD  S  PLAN.  I93 

dividual  believers, — to  know  that  the  same  Holy 
Spirit  Who  is  the  source  of  life  in  one  is  also  the 
source  of  life  in  the  other.  Then,  too,  this  con- 
ception of  the  Church  is  helpful  because  it  sets 
forth  a  great  ideal.  Whatever  the  Scriptures 
teach  about  the  Church,  every  believer  should 
try  to  have  reproduced  and  realized  in  his  own 
local  congregation  and  in  his  own  denomination. 
This  brings  up  an  important  question. 

Chief  Aim  and  Duty  of  the  Church 

What  is  the  chief  aim  and  duty  of  the  Church? 
What  is  the  Church  for? 

If  the  question  were  answered  according  to  social  Life, 
existing  conditions,  some  would  have  to  say, 
that  the  Church  is  a  social  organization.  Now 
there  is  no  doubt  that  there  ought  to  be  in  all 
church  life  a  great  deal  of  Christian  fellowship. 
The  Apostle  John  says,  "We  know  that  we  have 
passed  out  of  death  into  life,  because  we  love 
the  brethren."  ^  And  the  life  of  the  early  Church 
was  a  picture  of  believers  coming  together  and 
rejoicing  in  the  things  which,  as  believers,  they 
had  in  common  or  could  share  together.  Yet 
scarcely  any  one  would  dare  say  that  the  chief 
aim  of  the  Christian  Church  is  social  life,  not 
even  Christian  social  life. 


•John  3:   14. 
13 


194      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 


A   Training 
School. 


Guardian  of 
Truth. 


Paul's  Defini- 
tion. 


Another  answer  would  be  that  the  Church  is 
a  training  school.  Neither  will  any  one  deny 
that  there  is  in  all  church  life  a  great  deal  of  the 
training  element.  There  are  moral  lessons  to  be 
learned,  spiritual  truths  to  be  apprehended,  char- 
acter to  be  developed,  God's  will  to  be  unfolded 
as  it  reaches  out  to  human  life  everywhere.  How 
much  of  training  is  necessary,  both  intellectual 
and  religious,  to  master  the  laws  of  the  King- 
dom !  Youth  is  to  be  instructed  in  righteousness, 
and  old  age  is  to  be  kept  young  and  fresh  by  con- 
stant spiritual  development.  Yet  no  one  would 
want  to  say  that  the  chief  aim  and  end  of  the 
Church  was  to  serve  as  a  training  school. 

Another  common  conception  is  that  the  Church 
was  established  to  serve  as  the  guardian  of 
truth.  No  one  can  look  through  history  without 
seeing  that  the  Church  has  been  the  guardian  of 
the  truth,  the  Defender  of  the  Faith,  through 
many  periods  that  were  dark  with  scepticism  and 
dominated  by  sin.  Yet  surely  it  was  not  chiefly 
to  defend  His  truth  that  Christ  organized  the 
Church  in  the  world.  We  may  say  here  what 
Spurgeon  said  of  the  Bible.  He  likened  it  to  a 
lion,  which  men  were  trying  to  protect  by  caging 
it.  "Let  him  loose,"  he  cried,  "and  he  will  defend 
himself." 

What  then  is  the  chief  aim  and  end  of  the 
Church?      God's    World    Plan   is   given   in   the 


THE  CHURCH  AND  GOD  S  PLAN.  I95 

Book.  The  individual  life  plan  is  revealed  in  the 
Book.  The  divine  Church  plan  will  also  be 
found  in  the  Book.  The  Apostle  Paul,  writing 
to  the  Ephesians  concerning  God's  great  purpose, 
tells  us  what  is  the  place  of  the  Church  in  God's 
thought.  The  Plan  of  God  is  "to  the  intent,  that 
now  unto  the  principalities  and  the  powers  in  the 
heavenly  places  might  he  made  knozun  through 
the  Church  the  manifold  wisdom  of  God  accord- 
ing to  the  eternal  purpose  which  He  purposed  in 
Christ  Jesus  our  Lord." '  Now  ''the  manifold 
wisdom  of  God  in  Christ"  is  a  redeemed  human- 
ity. The  Church  is  appointed  to  display  to  the 
universe  the  glory  of  a  redeemed  humanity.  And 
this  the  Church  cannot  do  until  the  Gospel  of 
Christ  has  been  carried  to  all  humanity  and  pro- 
claimed to  every  creature. 

There  is  another  clear  word  which  declares  the  The  Body  of 

r     1        /^i  1  >  •  T     Christ. 

missionary  purpose  of  the  Church  s  existence,  it 
is  where  that  figure  is  developed  in  which  the 
Church  is  represented  as  "the  Body  of  Christ" 
upon  earth.  That  which  He,  as  Head,  desires  to 
have  realized  here  on  earth  can  only  be  realized 
through  the  Church,  which  is  His  body.  His 
lips  can  only  speak  as  the  Church  speaks  for 
Him.  His  hands  can  only  reach  out  in  blessing 
and  His  feet  move  on  errands  of  mercy,  as  the 
Church,  His  Body,  gives  expression  to  His  life.* 

^Eph.   3:   10-11.  sjohn  17:   7-11. 


196      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

As  Christ's  own  love  was  world-wide,  so  must  the 
Church's  love  be  world-wide. 
Its  First  Duty.  Sq  j)]-^  James  Denney  says,  "If  the  spontan- 
eous expression  of  the  Church's  life  is  worship, 
its  first  duty  is  to  evangelise/'  And  Dr.  W.  O. 
Carver  says,  "The  Church  is  the  product  of  mis- 
sions and  exists  to  promote  them.  One  does  not 
forget  the  nurture  of  Christian  character  in  the 
members,  but  this  nurture  is  'for  the  work  of 
service.'  "  He  makes  the  missionary  spirit  "the 
supreme  proof  of  loyalty  to  the  Lord — a  test 
Avhich  applies  first  to  the  individual  Christian  and 
through  him  to  the  Church.  The  Church  is  a 
lampstand  and  when  it  no  longer  serves  to  illu- 
mine the  darkness,  the  lampstand  is  removed  out 
of  its  place."  Andrew  Murray  is  equally  em- 
phatic when  he  says,  "Missions  are  the  chief  end 
of  the  Church.  All  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
in  converting  sinners  and  sanctifying  believers, 
has  this  for  its  one  aim — to  fit  them  for  the  part 
that  each  must  at  once  take  in  winning  back  the 
world  to  God."  And  the  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury, Primate  of  the  great  Anglican  Church,  in 
his  address  before  the  World  Missionary  Con- 
ference in  Edinburgh  in  1910,  said,  "But  be  quite 
The  Central  surc — it  is  my  single  thought  to-night — that  the 
^^^^®-  place  of  missions  in  the  life  of  the  Church  must 

be  the  central  place,  and  none  other.    That  is  what 
matters.    Let  people  get  hold  of  that,  and  it  will 


THE  CHURCH  AND  GOD  S  PLAN.  I97 

tell — it  is  the  merest  commonplace  to  say  it — it 
will  tell  for  us  at  home  as  it  will  tell  for  those 
afield.  Secure  for  that  thought  its  true  place,  in 
our  plans,  our  policy,  our  prayers,  and  then — 
why  then,  the  issue  is  His,  not  ours.  But  it  may 
well  be  that  if  that  come  true,  'there  be  some 
standing  here  to-night  who  shall  not  taste  of  death 
till  they  see,' — here  on  earth,  in  a  way  we  know 
not  now, — 'the  Kingdom  of  God  come  with 
power.'  " 

The  ChurcJi  Fiilfillmg  Its  Mission 

The  world  has  not  yet  witnessed  either  the  ||en!° 
Church  or  any  single  division  of  the  Church, 
wholly  surrendered  to  the  fulfilment  of  its  divine 
mission.  The  world  has  witnessed  individuals 
surrendered  to  the  will  of  God  and  burning  with 
a  passion  for  the  realization  of  God's  will  in  their 
lives, — and  the  vision  of  such  lives  has  been  full 
of  glory.  But  the  world  has  not  yet  seen  this 
thing  happen  in  the  life  of  an  entire  Church  or  de- 
nomination. The  nearest  approach  to  this  ideal 
would  seem  to  have  been  in  the  Golden  Age  of 
the  early  Church,  but  details  are  lacking  and  the 
vision  is  not  clear.  The  next  nearest  approach  to 
this  ideal  was  in  the  Moravian  Church.  'Tn  the 
first  twenty  years  of  its  existence  it  actually  sent 
out  more  missionaries  than  the  whole  Protestant 
Church  had  done  in  200  years.     It  alone,"  con- 


198      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 


A  Rallying 
Cry. 


Accept  Clirist's 
Plan. 


tinues  Andrew  Murray,  "of  all  the  Churches,  has 
actually  sought  to  carry  out  the  great  truth,  that 
to  gather  in  to  Christ  the  souls  He  died  to  save  is 
the  one  object  for  zvhich  the  Chi^irch  exists.  It 
alone  has  sought  to  teach  and  train  all  of  its 
members  to  count  it  their  first  duty  to  Him  Who 
loved  them,  to  give  their  life  to  make  Him  known 
to  others."  The  rallying-cry  of  this  Church  is,  to 

WIN  FOR  THE  LAMB  THAT  WAS  SLAIN  THE  REWARD 

OF  HIS  SUFFERINGS.  In  1 898,  the  Moravian 
Church  had  24,150  communicants  in  the  three 
home  lands  of  this  denomination.  At  that  time 
they  had  361  missionaries  (including  wives)  on 
the  foreign  field,  or  one  to  each  64  home  com- 
municants. The  figures  for  the  evangelical 
Churches  of  North  America  reveal  but  one  for- 
eign missionary  to  every  4,000  home  communi- 
cants.* 

And  why  may  not  this  vision  be  realized?  Its 
realization  must  first  be  in  the  life  of  the  indi- 
vidual, then  in  the  life  of  an  individual  congrega- 
tion, then  in  the  life  of  an  individual  denomina- 
tion, then — please  God — in  the  life  of  the  entire 
Church  of  Christ.  Nor  are  the  conditions  under 
which  this  vision  will  be  realized,  far  to  seek. 

( I )  There  must  be  the  fullest  acceptance  of  the 
Plan  of  Christ.  The  missionary  purpose  must 
dominate  every  department  of  church  activity  and 


^  J.  R.  Mott's  "The  Pastor  and  Modern  Missions. 


TUB  CHURCH  AND  GOD  S  PLAN.  I99 

every  sphere  of  church  life.  Selfish  considera- 
tions, wilful  unchangefulness,  and  unholy  ambi- 
tions must  be  dethroned  in  the  life  of  the  Church, 
that  the  Plan  of  Christ  may  be  enthroned.  The 
conflict  with  Self  will  not  be  less  keen  or  less  real 
than  in  the  individual  soul  making  its  surrender 
to  Christ.  As  every  Church  has  a  corporate  life, 
every  Church  has  a  corporate  self  and  a  corporate 
selfishness.  That  corporate  selfishness  must  be 
crucified,  if  Christ  is  to  be  enthroned  in  the  life  of 
that  Church.  The  force  of  Christ's  words  must 
be  recognized  by  each  Church  in  its  corporate  life, 
as  they  are  by  each  individual  in  his  individual 
life :  "He  that  findeth  his  life  shall  lose  it ;  and  he 
that  loseth  his  life  for  My  sake  shall  find  it."  In 
the  acceptance  of  Christ's  Plan  for  its  life,  the 
Church  comes  to  its  Calvary. 

(2)  There  must  be  the  fullest  acceptance  of  the  Accept  Christ's 

^    ^  Power. 

Power  of  Christ.  Thus  must  the  Church  come 
also  to  Pentecost.  The  Holy  Spirit's  leadership 
must  be  made  supreme  and  recognized  as  real.  Pie 
must  be  leaned  upon.  Merely  ethical  preaching 
will  give  way  to  preaching  which  will  make  su- 
pernaturalism  a  reality,  and  recognize  it  as  the 
proper  atmosphere  for  all  Christian  life  and  ser- 
vice. The  necessity  for  a  careful  discerning  of 
spirits,  will  be  no  ground  for  refusing  to  the  Holy 
Spirit  the  utmost  freedom  in  His  activities  within 
the  Church,  nor  for  denying  the  reality  of  His 


200        GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 


Accept  Christ's 
Presence. 


The  Early 
Church. 


Zinzendorf. 


free  and  personal  operations.  And  the  Power  of 
Christ  is  needed  to  realize  the  Plan  of  Christ. 
But  the  Power  of  Christ  will  not  be  granted  save 
for  the  Plan  of  Christ.  Holy  Spirit  power  can- 
not be  commanded  for  the  promotion  of  unsancti- 
fied  aims  and  purposes. 

(3)  There  must  be  the  fullest  acceptance  of  the 
Presence  of  Christ.  This  will  come  naturally 
with  the  gift  of  the  Spirit,  but  emphasis  needs  to 
be  laid  upon  this  characteristic  of  the  missionary 
Church.  Here  the  Church  comes  to  the  crowning 
of  its  life  with  joy. 

The  life  of  the  early  Church  is  noteworthy  be- 
cause of  the  vivid  sense  of  the  presence  of  Christ 
which  we  find  distinguishing  it.  The  Risen  Lord 
was  felt  to  be  present,  in  the  midst  of  His  Church. 
Of  Zinzendorf,  also,  we  read,  'The  person  of 
Christ  became  central  in  his  theology  and  in  his 
preaching  and  in  the  preaching  of  his  brethren." 
And  again,  among  the  characteristic  tenets  which 
this  great  man  held,  we  find  the  following  enum- 
erated with  special  prominence :  "the  presentation 
of  Christ  as  God,  with  an  acceptance  of  all  the 
consequences  of  this  presentation:  amongst  the 
rest,  prayer  directly  to  Christ:  ....  the 
privilege  of  personal  daily  fellowship  with  the 
Lord  Jesus  in  spite  of  unrealized  unworthiness 
and  personal  sinfulness :  the  obligation  and  privi- 
lege of  following  the  guidance  and  leading  of  the 


THE  CHURCH  AND  GOD  S  PLAN.  20I 

Lord,  the  chief  Elder  and  Bishop  of  souls,  the 
Good  Shepherd,  to  Whom  both  the  welfare  of  the 
individual  Christian  and  the  prosperity  and  pro- 
gress of  the  church  are  a  care.""^  This  conscious- 
ness of  the  personal  presence  of  the  Living  Lord 
is  the  need  of  the  Church  to-day,  so  that  it  too 
may  be  able  to  say : 

"Loud  mockers  in  the  roaring  street 
Say  Christ  is  crucified  again : 
Twice  pierced  His  gcrspel-bearing  feet, 
Twice  broken  His  great  heart  in  vain. 

"I  hear  and  to  myself  I  smile, 
For  Christ  talks  with  me  all  the  while." 

We  pass  now  from  the  general  to  the  specific ; 
from  the  Church  as  a  whole,  or  the  church  as  a 
congregation,  to  the  consideration  of  the  particu- 
lar Church  or  denomination  whose  life  calls  for 
these  missionary  studies  and  to  whose  life  the  ma- 
jority of  the  readers  of  this  book  are  related. 

The  United  Presbyterian  Church 

The   important   question   comes   up.   Has   the  a  Definite 
United  Presbyterian  Church  any  definite  share 
and  responsibility  in  carrying  the  Gospel  to  all 
the  zuorldf    It  is  not  enough  to  say  that  it  is  the 
duty  of  the  whole  Church  to  carry  the  Gospel  to 

"  J.   T.   Hamilton's   "History  of  the  Moravian  Church." 


Task. 


THE  MODEL  MISSIONARY  CHURCH 

This  diagram  illustrates  the  main  features  of  a  model  missionary  church. 
It  is  based  upon  the  report  of  a  Commission  of  twelve,  appointed  by  four  in- 
fluential bodies,  representing  the  missionary  activities  of  America :  The  Foreign 
Missions  Conference  of  America,  the  Home  Missions  Council  of  America,  the 
Young  People's  Missionary  Movement  and  the  Laymen's  Missionary  Movement. 
The  Commission  was  appointed  to  define  the  main  features  of  a  standard  Mission- 
ary' church. 

(1)  The  inner  circle  indicates  the  macliinery  needed, — a  Missionary  Com- 
mittee. Circumstances  must  govern  the  formation  of  this  committee,  but  such  a 
committee  is  essential. 

(2)  The  next  circle  indicates  the  spheres  which  call  for  missionary  cultiva- 
tion. There  are  six.  It  is  not  intended  that  the  Missionary  Committee  shall 
itself  cultivate  all  these  spheres,  but  merely  insure  that  an  agency  is  at  work 
cultivating  them   properly. 

(3)  The  outer  circle  indicates  the  four  forms  which  missionary  cultivation 
will  assume :  Educational,  devotional,  financial  and  practical.  These  relate 
roughly  to  the  four  topics  :     Information,   prayer,   giving,   personal  service. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  GOD'S  PLAN.  203 

the  whole  world.  What  is  everybody's  business 
becomes  nobody's  business.  Then,  too,  if  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church  has  a  part  to  per- 
form, by  what  authority  is  the  task  assigned  to 
her?  We  commonly  speak  of  the  foreign  mis- 
sion fields  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  as 
being  found  in  Egypt,  India  and  the  Egyptian 
Sudan.  There  are  some  9,000,000  souls  in  Egypt, 
who  need  to  be  evangelized;  there  are  5,000,000 
in  India,  in  the  Punjab;  there  are  also  a  million 
in  the  Egyptian  Sudan.  By  what  authority  do 
we  say  that  these  15,000,000  souls  have  been 
given  to  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  to  evan- 
gelize? This  is  an  important  question.  If  this 
task  was  assigned  through  some  accident,  then 
to-morrow's  accident  may  rid  the  Church  of  the 
burden  of  evangelizing  these  people.  If  some 
human  reasoning  assigned  to  the  Church  this 
task,  may  it  not  be  that  somebody  else's  reason- 
ing will  relieve  the  Church  of  this  task?  But  if 
God  assigned  it  to  the  Church,  then  the  Church 
cannot  shirk  the  duty,  nor  unload  it,  nor  repudi- 
ate it.  The  Church  must  finish  the  task.  How 
then  may  we  know  whether  God  has  assigned  to 
the  United  Presbyterian  Church  these  fields  to 
evangelize  ? 

In  days  of  old,  as  we  read  in  the  Old  Testa-  unm  and 

Thummim. 

ment,  they  had  the  Urim  and  Thummim.  When 
anyone  wished  to  know  the  will  of  God,  yes  or 


204        GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 

no,  he  consulted  the  Urim  or  Thummim.  We  do 
not  know  much  about  this  oracle.  We  do  know, 
these  were  two  stones  in  the  ephod  of  the  high 
priest.  Some  have  supposed  that  the  priests  could 
tell  the  will  of  God  by  the  way  that  the  stones 
flashed.  Others  have  thought  that  the  stones 
were  tossed  in  the  air,  and  that  the  will  of  God 
was  known  by  the  way  in  which  they  fell.  At  any 
rate,  we  read  that  there  was  this  method  of  dis- 
covering the  will  of  God.""  It  may  be  that  many, 
in  this  day,  wish  that  they  might  have  the  Urim 
and  Thummim  of  old  to  relieve  them  of  anxiety 
as  they  seek  to  discover  the  will  of  God.  But  if 
that  is  the  only  way  in  which  we  may  discover 
the  will  of  God,  then  we  cannot  know  the  will  of 
God  on  this  subject,  nor  on  any  other  subject. 
Surely,  however,  there  is  some  way  of  knowing 
God's  will. 
S?e^  lSiiiI!''^  There  is  a  beautiful  sermon  by  the  Rev.  Wil- 
liam M.  Taylor,  D.D.,  entitled,  "The  Way  and  the 
Leading."  Dr.  Taylor  lays  hold  of  that  incident 
in  the  Old  Testament,  where  the  servant  of  the 
Patriarch  is  sent  to  a  far  country,  to  "the  old 
country,"  to  find  a  wife  for  the  son  of  the  Patri- 
arch. And  the  servant  comes  into  this  distant 
land,  and  he  sits  by  the  well,  watching  the  peo- 
ple come  and  go.  He  does  not  know  which  way 
to  turn,  which  home  to  visit.     In  his  perplexity, 

"Num.   27:   21. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  GOD  S  PLAN.  20$ 

he  prays  to  God.  And  just  here  there  sHps  into 
the  narrative  the  beautiful  words  which  we  find 
in  the  old  version,  "I,  being  in  the  way,  the  Lord 
led  me."  And  Dr.  Taylor  shows  that  when  we 
are  in  the  way  of  faith,  and  in  the  way  of  prayer, 
and  in  the  way  of  duty,  we  are  led  of  the  Lord, 
just  as  truly  and  just  as  surely,  as  was  the  ser- 
vant of  the  Patriarch  almost  4,000  years  ago. 

Of  Divine  Assignment 

If  anyone  will  study  the  history  of  the  en-  Divinely  Ap- 
trance  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  into  its 
several  mission  fields,  he  will  recognize  the  hand 
of  God  guiding  the  Church  to  these  fields  and  as- 
signing to  the  Church  the  task  of  evangelizing 
their  peoples. 

(i)  We  were  in  the  zvay  of  prayer:  It  was  at  The  way  of 
a  prayer-meeting,  in  Allegheny,  that  five  persons, 
— Messrs.  John  Alexander  and  James  McCand- 
less,  Mrs.  Gordon,  Mrs.  Lockhart,  and  Dr.  Rodg- 
ers, — were  led  to  consider  India  as  a  field  for 
missionary  work.  The  selection  of  the  little 
prayer-meeting  became  the  selection  of  the  con- 
gregation. The  selection  of  the  congregation  be- 
came, after  prayer,  the  choice  of  the  Synod,  and 
thus  of  one  branch  of  our  Church.  Those  who 
have  read  the  history  of  our  India  Mission  will 
recall  too,  that  not  by  immediate  advances,  but 


2o6      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

after  repeated  disappointments  in  other  direc- 
tions, the  first  missionary,  the  Rev.  Andrew  Gor- 
don, was  selected  for  appointment  to  this  distant 
field.  His  own  account  of  those  days  of  begin- 
ning shows  how  much  of  prayer  entered  into  his 
own  life  plans. 

Now,  what  was  so  true  of  the  founding  of  our 
India  Mission  was  likewise  true  of  our  Missions 
in  Egypt  and  the  Sudan.    We  were  in  the  way  of 
prayer,  and  can  say.  Surely  God  led  us. 
Providence.  (2)  We  were  in  the  zt'ay  of  providential  guid- 

ance: How  clearly  is  this  illustrated  in  the  be- 
ginning of  our  Mission  in  Egypt.  We  then  had 
a  mission  in  Syria.  This  mission  showed  little 
or  no  progress.  The  rule  of  the  Turk  prevented 
missionary  expansion.  Political  troubles  threat- 
ened what  work  existed.  Ill-health  then  led  a 
missionary  to  Egypt.  This  resulted  in  the  dis- 
covery of  the  unoccupied,  the  equally  needy,  the 
more  salubrious,  the  far  more  open,  field  for  mis- 
sionary activity  which  existed  in  the  Nile  Valley. 
This  unity  of  events  lying  wholly  within  the  con- 
trol of  a  divine  Providence,  led  to  the  opening  of 
the  Egyptian  Mission. 

So,  too,  was  it  with  our  Sudan  Mission.  For 
decades  our  missionary  activity  was  limited  to  the 
First  Cataract.  Beyond  this,  lay  a  hermit  nation, 
—the  Egyptian  Sudan.  The  White  Nile  was  ev- 
erywhere the  synonym  for  death.  There  were  no 


THE  CHURCH  AND  GOD  S  PLAN.  207 

convenient  means  of  transportation.  There  was 
no  safe  government;  there  was,  apparently,  no 
sufficient  incentive  for  an  invasion  of  the  Sudan, 
whether  for  gain  or  for  glory,  whether  for  com- 
merce or  for  missionary  effort.  Then  came  the 
Mahdi  war,  the  martyrdom  of  Gordon,  the  Kitch- 
ener campaigns,  the  victory  at  Omdurman,  the 
conquest  of  the  Sudan.  The  name  of  Gordon  stir- 
red the  home  Church.  The  British  Government 
removed  every  physical  danger.  Still  our  Church 
hesitated.  Then  God  suddenly  raised  up  in  Great 
Britain  a  sum  of  money  which  would  suffice  to  be- 
gin the  Mission.  Still  we  delayed.  Then  God 
thrust  forth  into  the  Sudan,  in  government  ser- 
vice, the  young  men  of  our  Egyptian  Church  and 
Mission,  and  the  Church  was  literally  compelled 
to  occupy  this,  our  most  recent  mission  field.  We 
were  in  the  way  of  providential  circumstances  be- 
yond human  reasoning  or  control,  and  God  led  us. 

(3)   ^^  zvere  also  in  the  way  of  an  exclusive  An  Exclusive 

—.1  .  ,  r      r  Commission. 

commission.  1  here  is  scarcely  any  surer  proof  of 
a  divine  commission  than  the  continued  absence 
of  any  overlapping  with  others  in  the  execution  of 
that  commission. 

Would  that  there  were  opportunity  to  point  out 
adequately  the  absolute  responsibility  which  re- 
lates us  to  the  millions  of  our  mission  fields.  I  go 
to  India.  I  see  every  mission  occupying  a  clearly- 
defined  territory.    To  this  canal  or  river  or  high- 


2o8      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 


Egypt. 


The  Sudan. 


way,  is  the  field  of  one  Mission.  Beyond  it  is  the 
field  of  another.  Each  Mission  is  taxed  by  the 
greatness  of  its  own  field,  and  has  neither  the  de- 
sire nor  the  ability  to  enter  another's  field.  Within 
this  territory,  then,  are  five  million  people,  who, 
unless  they  receive  the  Gospel  from  United  Pres- 
byterian missionaries,  must,  so  far  as  human  vis- 
ion avails,  go  down  to  Christless  graves. 

I  go  to  Egypt.  I  mark  how  for  twenty-five 
years  our  Amission  there  was  the  only  missionary 
organization  operating  in  that  most  historic,  most 
attractive,  most  accessible  mission  field.  I  see 
that  even  now,  where  other  missionary  societies 
have  come  in,  they  recognize  the  local  character 
of  their  work,  so  that  the  Nile  Valley,  in  almost 
its  entirety,  has  been  and  still  is  practically  the 
exclusive  field  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
Mission.  With  the  most  liberal  concessions  pos- 
sible to  the  responsibilities  of  other  missionary 
agencies,  there  are  in  Egypt  some  nine  million 
souls  looking  to  us  for  the  Gospel. 

I  go  to  the  Sudan.  I  speak  with  the  Governor 
General  of  the  Sudan,  Sir  Reginald  Wingate,  and 
he  tells  me  that  his  government  has  assigned  ex- 
clusively to  our  Mission  the  great  water-shed  of 
the  Sobat  River.  I  stand  over  against  these 
providential  exclusions  of  other  agencies  and  the 
exclusive    assignment    of    these    fields    to    our 


THE  CHURCH  AND  GOD  S  PLAN.  209 

Church,  and  I  see  in  these  a  new  and  a  divine 
vindication  of  the  way  in  which  God  has  led  us. 

These  are  not  theories.  These  are  facts,  facts  pacts!'^^"^^^^' 
of  the  history  of  a  half  century  of  missions,  and 
"facts  are  the  fingers  of  God."  To  refuse  to  ac- 
cept as  a  divine  assignment  the  obHgations 
which  rest  upon  us  for  the  evangelization  of  some 
fifteen  million  souls  in  Egypt,  India  and  the  Su- 
dan, is  to  ignore  a  divine  providence,  and  to  do 
violence  to  the  fundamental  principle  of  a  faith 
which  believes  in  a  God  of  history.  There  is  a 
better  way  than  to  refuse.  It  is  to  accept  our  di- 
vinely assigned  commission  and  go  forth  to  obey. 

Past  Eifort  Justified 

A  second  question  is  asked.  Have  the  mission-  JusUfied. 
ary  beginnings  of  the  past  half  century  been 
such  as  to  justify  the  Church  in  going  forward 
with  confidence  to  the  completion  of  this  work? 
We  say  "missionary  beginnings,"  for  we  shall 
presently  see  that  these  past  efforts  have  only 
been  beginnings.  Let  us  recognize  now,  how- 
ever, that  these  efforts  have  been  wonderfully 
approved  of  God.  It  would  require  an  examina- 
tion of  the  history  of  each  of  our  fields,  to  ade- 
quately illustrate  this  statement.  Here,  we  can 
only  point  to  a  few  outstanding  successes. 

(i)   There  is  numerical  progress.     It  is  said 

14 


210        GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 

Numbers.  that   we   Americans   are    ever   quoting   figures, 

counting  both  dollars  and  souls,  instead  of  weigh- 
ing them.  However,  discount  figures  as  one 
may,  there  yet  remains  sufficient  force  in  those 
which  we  shall  give,  to  warrant  their  presenta- 
tion. 

Remember  that  it  is  but  little  over  five  decades 
since  the  sailing  vessel  "Sabine,"  left  New  York 
harbor,  bearing  across  the  sea  our  first  mission- 
aries to  India, — one  man  and  two  women, — inex- 
perienced pioneers  they  were,  unequipped  with 
that  vast  machinery  of  missions  which  these  suc- 
ceeding centuries  have  provided,  unsupported  by 
the  experience  and  prestige  of  recent  decades  of 
missionary  eflfort;  and  they  went  forth  to  cope, 
single-handed,  with  difficulties  great  in  them- 
selves, and  greater  because  unknown  and  un- 
measured. To-day,  we  look  to  India  and  find  not 
merely  converts,  not  merely  organized  congrega- 
tions, but  presbyteries  and  a  synod, — the  throb- 
bing life  of  an  organic  Christianity.  One  pres- 
bytery yonder,  that  of  Gujranwala,  is  larger  in 
membership  than  any  presbytery  we  have  in 
America,  save  one,  that  of  Monongahela.  An- 
other presbytery  yonder,  that  of  Sialkot,  is 
larger  than  the  combined  Synods  of  Colorado 
and  California,  while  the  entire  Synod  of  the  Pun- 
jab ranks  third  among  the  thirteen  synods  which 


THE  CHURCH  AND  GOD's  PLAN.  211 

constitute  our  United  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 
world. 

The  beginnings  of  our  work  in  Egypt  consti-  No  Converts, 
tuted  a  trial  of  faith.  One  year  passed,  and  there 
were  no  converts.  Two,  three,  four  years,  and 
no  converts!  The  fifth  year  closed  and  there 
were  but  four,  and  only  two  of  these  were  na- 
tives of  Egypt,  yet  to-day  we  have  more  com- 
municants in  the  Nile  Valley  than  in  the  entire 
Synod  of  Illinois ;  while  the  ingatherings  are  lit- 
tle less  than  a  thousand  every  year. 

Group  our  foreign  churches  together,  and  you  one-flftb 
will  find  that  one-fifth  of  the  membership  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church  is  across  the  sea. 
Were  we  addressing  any  audience  representing 
perfectly  our  United  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 
world,  the  address  would  need  to  be  translated, 
into  one  foreign  tongue  to  benefit  every  tenth 
person,  and  into  another  foreign  tongue  to  bring 
it  within  the  reach  of  another  of  every  ten  per- 
sons. Some  fifty  years  ago,  the  Associate 
Church,  which  helped  to  form  the  United  Pres- 
byterian Church,  had  some  23,500  members,  but 
our  foreign  churches  to-day  exceed  that  number 
by  over  nine  thousand. 

And  the  significance  of  this  numerical  growth 
lies  in  the  fact,  that  in  the  last  ten  years  that  for- 
eign membership  has  increased  two  hundred  and 
sixty-one  per  cent. 


212        GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 

Quality.  (2)  To  numerical  progress,  we  may  add  certain 

attainments  that  are  not  to  be  set  forth  in  mere 
figures.  We  could  refer  to  the  quality  of  the 
Christian  life  that  is  being  developed  across  the 
sea,  in  the  midst  of  Islam,  Hinduism  and  Pagan- 
ism. 

In  the  Night.  "How  deeply  was  I  affected,"  wrote  Mr.  Krui- 
denier  recently  from  Egypt,  ''when,  in  a  certain 
place  in  this  district,  having  laid  me  down  to 
rest,  at  a  late  hour,  a  voice  unexpectedly  broke 
upon  the  stillness  of  the  night.  I  listened  and 
wondered.  It  was  the  voice  of  prayer,  and  as  it 
continued  and  grew  in  intensity  and  earnestness, 
I  could  distinguish  the  voice  of  the  teacher  and 
hear  his  petition.  At  this  late  hour  of  the  night, 
he  prayed  aloud.  He  prayed  for  himself  and  for 
his  work,  for  forgiveness  and  strength,  for  wis- 
dom and  consecration,  for  fearlessness  and  faith- 
fulness ;  for  his  loved  ones  he  prayed,  for  his  pu- 
pils, for  his  townsfolk,  and  especially  for  Islam, 
that  the  Moslems  of  his  country  might  be  saved ; 
and  as  I  listened,  I  too  could  not  help  but  pray. 
At  last,  there  seemed  to  be  no  strength  any  more 
and  the  voice  ceased." 

But  for  many  such  illustrations  there  is  not 
space. 

Liberality  and  (3)  The  measurement  of  past  success  must 
also  take  into  consideration  the  promotion  of  a 
spirit  of  liberality  and  self-support  in  our  work 


Self-Support. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  GOD  S  PLAN.  21$ 

abroad.  There  is  a  double  value  to  progress  in 
this  direction.  On  the  one  hand,  where  we  find 
this  spirit,  we  are  assured  of  the  genuineness  of 
the  work  for  Christ.  There  is  no  occasion  for 
any  suspicion  that  the  conversions  are  for  the 
sake  of  the  "loaves  and  fishes."  On  the  other 
hand,  the  maintenance  of  Christian  institutions 
by  the  people  to  whom  these  institutions  minis- 
ter, releases  our  American  funds  for  further 
work  elsewhere.  We  do  well  to  prize  highly 
every  sign  of  progress  in  liberality  and  self-sup- 
port. 

It  is  the  distinctive  glory  of  our  Missions 
abroad  that  they  are  leaders  in  this  movement. 
In  India,  it  was  on  the  tide  of  a  great  revival  that 
this  movement  toward  self-support  came  into 
prominence,  and  to-day  we  have  there  twenty- 
five  congregations  that  are  entirely  self-support- 
ing. And  this  is  in  the  face  of  a  poverty  so 
great,  that  we  are  prepared  to  say,  that  there  is 
not  one  person  reading  these  lines  who  would 
even  consent  to  such  self-support,  if  he  were  to 
see  out  of  what  material  limitations  Indian  Chris- 
tians give.  Indeed,  our  India  Mission  has  been 
criticised  more  than  once  for  its  insistence  on 
self-support.  But  we  may  put  over  against  that 
superficial  criticism  the  deep  connection  that  has 
always  existed  between  the  self-support  move- 
ment and  the  great  experiences  of  revival  that 


214      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 


Liberality. 


Reflex  Bless- 
ings. 


have  come  to  that  field.  The  instances  are  not 
few  where  one-tenth  of  the  entire  crop  of  grain 
at  harvest  time — the  only  revenue  of  an  Indian 
farmer, — has  been  set  aside  for  God's  treasury. 

In  Egypt,  there  are  twenty-two  self-support- 
ing pastorates  and  over  $50,000  was  given  last 
year  for  Church  purposes.  But  think  of  the 
great  scope  of  our  missionary  operations  in  the 
Nile  Valley:  70  churches  ministering  to  some 
10,000  church  members,  18  schools  training  some 
17,000  pupils,  medical  work  touching  some  50,000 
sick,  and  a  book  department  distributing  some 
70,000  volumes  and  religious  works, — a  vast  en- 
terprise !  "Our  missionary  operations,"  did  we 
say?  We  take  undue  credit.  The  operation  of 
this  great  work  involves  the  annual  expenditure 
of  more  than  $290,000,  but,  mark  this,  less  than 
forty  cents  of  every  dollar  expended  comes  from 
these  United  States, — more  than  three-fifths  is 
derived  from  Egypt  itself. 

(4)  There  are  many  other  manifestations  of 
God's  blessing  upon  our  work  which  ought  to  be 
named,  such  as  the  development  of  the  organic 
life  of  our  Mission  churches,  the  providential 
over-rulings  and  protection  displayed  through  a 
half -century  of  labor,  experiences  of  revival  so 
dramatic  and  yet  so  abiding.  We  pass  these  all 
by,  to  speak  of  the  reflex  influence  for  good  of 
this  foreign  missionary  effort  upon  the  life  of  the 


THE  CHURCH  AND  GOD  S  PLAN.  21 5 

home  Church,  for  if  this  be  established,  then  our 
past  missionary  efforts  must  be  justified  to  the 
last  disbeliever  in  missions. 

It  is  a  special  danger  of  a  small  denomination,  Breadth  of 
that  it  shall  lack  in  breadth  of  vision  and  breadth 
of  sympathy.  It  is  not  likely  to  lack  in  earnest- 
ness, but  it  is  likely  to  lack  in  breadth  of  out- 
look, simply  because  of  the  pressure  put  upon  it 
to  preserve  and  develop  its  own  life.  Without 
false  pride,  may  we  not  claim  that  our  Church 
has  escaped  this  danger?  She  is  not  to-day  a 
sect,  but  a  part  of  God's  great  army.  She  recog- 
nizes her  responsibility,  not  to  minister  to  a  few 
settlements  of  people,  but  to  carry  her  share  of 
the  burden  of  evangelizing  and  Christianizing 
America.  We  are  not  stating  more  than  the  truth 
when  we  say  that  no  single  factor  in  maintaining 
and  developing  this  broad  outlook  in  our  Church, 
can  compare  with  the  influence  exerted  upon  the 
life  of  the  home  Church  by  her  foreign  mission- 
ary activities. 

That  the  same  helpful, — not  hindering, — influ-  Gifts. 
ence  was  exerted  upon  the  gifts  of  the  Church  to 
her  own  zuork  in  America,  through  the  stimulus 
of  her  obligations  abroad,  is  easily  proved.  Dur- 
ing the  past  nine  years  which  are  regarded  as 
years  of  special  foreign  missionary  agitation,  the 
average  percentage  of  increase  in  gifts  over  each 
preceding  year,   has   been   to   foreign   missions 


2i6      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

three  and  three-tenths  per  cent,  to  home  missions 
seven  and  six-tenths  per  cent. 

We  may  quote  here  the  words  which  the  Sec- 
retary of  our  own  Home  Board  spoke  at  a  Ju- 
bilee Foreign  Missionary  Convention  in  1904: 
"Other  influences  have  been  working  to  increase 
the  offerings  of  our  people  to  the  support  and  ex- 
tension of  the  work  of  our  Church,  but  the  very 
noticeable  enlargement  of  such  gifts  during  the 
past  fifty  years,  is,  undoubtedly,  in  great  measure 
due  to  the  reflex  influence  of  our  foreign  mission- 
ary work." 

In  the  presence  of  these  facts, — numerical  pro- 
gress, the  development  of  Christian  character 
in  the  midst  of  heathenism,  the  spirit  of  liberality 
and  self-support  in  the  native  churches  abroad 
and  the  reflex  blessing  of  missionary  activity  on 
the  life  of  the  home  Church, — may  we  not  assert 
with  confidence  that  God  has  justified  and  vindi- 
cated the  beginning  of  our  effort  to  discharge 
our  missionary  obligation? 

Present  Agencies  Inadequate 

Are  They  A  third  question  now  needs  to  be  asked :  Are 

Adequate?  .      .  .  , 

our  missionary  agencies  adequate  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  task  before  us?  We  would  not 
weaken  any  statement  made  as  to  the  marvelous 
extension  of  the  work  during  past  years.    But 


THE  CHURCH  AND  GOD  S  PLAN.  217 

in  the  face  of  all  that  has  been  said  concerning 
the  blessing  of  God  upon  our  work,  there  is  need 
to  inquire  concerning  the  adequacy  of  our  pres- 
ent agencies.  There  is  danger  of  so  glorying 
over  the  successes  of  the  past,  as  to  forget  the 
needs  which  remain.  There  is  such  a  thing  as 
idealizing  the  past,  when  that  past  represents 
years  not  of  God's  working,  but  of  man's  delay. 
In  our  field  in  India,  it  is  estimated  that  some 
7,000,000  have  gone  down  to  Christless  graves 
since  we  began  to  labor  there,  because  at  no  time 
have  our  missionary  agencies  been  adequate  for 
the  presentation  of  Christ  to  them.  In  Egypt, 
some  12,000,000  have  so  passed  away.  Was  this 
God's  will  or  was  it  human  negligence?  To-day 
our  missionary  agencies  are  calculated  to  suf- 
fice for  the  evangelization  of  some  3,000,000  dur- 
ing an  entire  generation.  But  there  are  15,000,- 
000  in  our  mission  fields.  Is  it  God's  will  that  we 
should  leave  12,000,000  to  die  without  even  hear- 
ing of  Christ,  or  is  it  human  negligence  and  sin?  J2't°;geSng' 
Is  it  God's  will  that  in  these  foreign  fields  some 
400,000  shall  die  each  year  without  having  had 
a  chance  to  know  of  the  only  Savior  of  mankind  ? 
Our  Church  glories  in  its  orthodoxy,  in  its  loy- 
alty to  Jesus  Christ  as  the  only  Mediator  and  Sa- 
vior. But  we  hold  such  a  faith  to  our  own  con- 
demnation, unless  we  parallel  it  with  missionary 
zeal,  for,  as  some  one  has  said,  "Can  you  con- 


2i8      god's  plan  for  world  redemption. 

ceive  of  anything  more  fatal,  more  monstrous, 
more  immoral,  than  a  doctrine  which  declares 
men  lost  without  Christ,  and  then  refuses  to  make 
Christ  known  to  them?" 
A  Simple  Com-     Let  US  face  the  fact:  Our  present  missionary 

parison.  ,  .  ^       .  .    -^ 

agencies  are  inadequate  for  the  doing  of  the  thing 
which  we  claim  to  be  trying  to  do.  Perhaps  this 
can  be  made  clear  by  a  simple  comparison.  Take 
a  community  of  one  thousand  souls  thoroughly 
representative  of  religious  conditions  in  America. 
Out  of  these  i,ooo  persons,  more  than  2jo  would 
he  Christians,  members  of  evangelical  Christian 
churches,  and  the  majority  of  the  others  would  at 
least  want  to  be  called  Christians,  no  matter  what 
our  own  personal  opinion  of  them  might  be. 
Among  these  250  Christian  church  members, 
there  would  be  six  ordained  ministers  and  many 
trained  Christian  workers.  Now  we  take  a  simi- 
lar group  of  one  thousand  souls  thoroughly  rep- 
resentative of  religious  conditions  in  our  mission 
fields  of  Egypt,  India  and  the  Sudan.  Out  of 
these  1,000  persons  there  would  not  be  250  Chris- 
tians ;  there  would  be  two  Christian  church  mem- 
bers. And  how  many  ordained  ministers?  Not 
six,  not  even  one ;  but  we  would  need  to  bring  to- 
gether more  than  116  such  groups  before  we 
would  reach  the  average  parish  of  each  ordained 
minister, — and  this  is  counting  every  ordained 
man,  whether  foreign  or  native. 


THE  CHURCH   AND  GOD  S   PLAN.  2ig 

It  is  true  that  we  have  with  us  ''the  God  of  ourseivM  and 

God. 

impossibilities,"  and  we  read  "five  of  you  shall 
chase  a  hundred  and  a  hundred  of  you  shall 
chase  ten  thousand."  But  it  is  also  true  that  in 
the  spiritual  conquest  of  the  world,  human  agen- 
cies must  bear  some  proper  relation  to  the  work 
which  is  to  be  accomplished,  and  God  will  not 
permit  men  to  make  faith  in  Him  the  subterfuge 
for  spiritual  sloth  and  selfishness. 

We  Can  and  Must 

In  the  presence  of  the  divine  commission  J^J  imp«ra- 
which  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  has  re- 
ceived and  in  the  presence  of  a  task  which  is  so 
sadly  unfulfilled,  the  Church  can  and  must  carry 
this  work  through  to  its  completion.  With  our 
missionary  obligation  clearly  defined,  with  the 
proper  methods  and  agencies  for  missionary  work 
fully  discovered  through  the  experiences  of  the 
past,  with  a  full  consciousness  of  the  inadequacy 
of  our  present  missionary  force,  it  remains  for 
us  now  to  actually  do  what  has  hitherto  only  been 
begun. 

And  a  rare  advantage  is  at  hand  as  this  task  is 
undertaken.  We  have  at  hand  an  estimate, — the 
estimate  of  experts, — of  what  is  needed  to  evan- 
gelize our  foreign  fields.  Our  missionaries  in 
each  field  met  for  days  to  consider  this  question. 


220        GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 

and  their  answer  came  to  us  in  appeals  for  485 
missionaries.  Lest  any  are  led  to  believe  that 
these  answers  express  snap  judgment  or  mere 
enthusiasm,  let  us  add,  that  since  these  appeals 
were  issued,  other  Missions  have  considered  this 
question,  and  their  answers  are  parallel  with 
those  of  our  Missions. 
Fourfold  In-         Let  US  add,  further,  that  quite  recently  these 

crease.  ....  i 

missionaries  reviewed  the  whole  question,  and 
their  present  judgment  confirms  their  former 
judgment, — the  present  force  must  he  quad- 
rupled, some  400  missionaries  must  be  added  to 
the  force  in  the  field,  and  our  present  foreign 
missionary  budget  must  advance  from  some 
$300,000  to  $1,250,000  a  year. 
Can  We?  In  the  face  of  this  definition  of  our  task,  we 

dare  say  it:  We  can.  It  is  pitiful  that  such  a 
statement  should  require  proof.  To  do  this  work 
is  only  to  ask  for  one  missionary  volunteer  from 
every  third  congregation  in  the  denomination. 
It  is  only  to  ask  one  life  out  of  every  335  mem- 
bers of  the  Church.  During  the  Civil  War,  Kan- 
sas gave  one  soldier  to  every  five  and  eight- 
tenths  of  her  population,  Illinois  one  to  every  six 
and  seven-tenths  of  her  population,  and  will  one 
to  every  335  members  be  too  great  a  demand 
upon  sons  of  the  Covenanters,  when  the  Son  of 
God  leads  forth  to  His  holy  war  ? 

We  have  spoken  of  quadrupling  our  present 


THE  CHURCH   AND  GOD  S   PLAN.  221 

budget  to  foreign  missions.  At  first  thought, 
many  are  inclined  to  exclaim,  Impossible, — sim- 
ply because  they  have  unconsciously  thought  that 
the  statement  carried  with  it  the  demand  for  a 
quadrupling  of  all  our  gifts.  This  is  not  so.  Of 
the  total  gifts  of  the  Church,  one-third  is  for  the 
salaries  of  ministers.  There  is  no  proposition 
here  to  multiply  by  four  the  present  salary  budget 
in  America.  Another  third  of  what  is  contrib- 
uted is  for  congregational  expenses,  and  there  is 
no  proposition  here  to  multiply  these  by  four. 
We  submit  the  following  test:  Think  of  what 
yoti  gave  last  year  to  the  cause  of  foreign  mis- 
sions. Do  you  dare  say  here  before  God,  that  it 
is  not  possible,  that  it  would  be  even  seriously  in- 
convenient, for  you  to  quadruple  that  amount? 
Yes,  to  quadruple  our  foreign  missionary  budget 
would  be  to  strain  (?)  the  resources  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church  in  America,  by  ask- 
ing from  each  member  less  than  two  cents  a  day. 
We  can  do  it. 

And,  we  must.  We  must  for  the  sake  of  our  we  Must, 
foreign  fields.  It  would  require  a  separate  chap- 
ter to  show  how  in  Egypt,  India,  the  Sudan,  the 
same  open  door  by  which  the  missionary  may 
enter,  is  being  sought  by  thousands  of  hostile  in- 
fluences ;  how  the  fields  white  unto  spiritual  har- 
vest, where  not  harvested  at  once,  are  becoming 


WHERE  THE  CHURCH  DOLLAR  GOES 


The  records  show  that  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  of  North  America  con- 
tributed last  year  $2,427,617.     Where  did  it  go? 

Where  does  the  Church  dollar  go? 

Sixty-eight  cents  of  every  dollar  go  toward  the  local  expenses  of  the  congre- 
gation :   pastor's   salary  and  other  expenses. 

Nine  cents  go  to  General  Contributions ;  for  the  most  part  local  benevolences 
apart  from  Church  support. 

Twenty-three  cents — less  than  one-fourth  of  the  dollar — go  to  missionary 
causes,  at  home  and  abroad.     Did  Christ  say,   "Love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself." 

Of  every  Church  dollar,  ninety-one  cents  stay  in  America,  nine  cents  go 
abroad.  It  is  scarcely  accurate  to  say  that  foreign  missions  are  being  overdone. 
Again  we  ask,  did  Christ  say,  "Love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."    Did  He  mean  it? 


THE  CHURCH   AND  GOD  S   PLAN.  223 

fields  hardened  against  decades  of  missionary  ef- 
fort. 

We  must  for  the  sake  of  our  missionaries.  It  is  fake^^*^^ 
simply  breaking  them  down  to-day  to  stand  over 
against  the  overwhelming  need  and  under  the 
overwhelming  obligation,  with  the  limited  supply 
and  the  limited  strength  which  is  theirs. 

We  must  do  it  for  the  sake  of  our  Church  in  ^°^  <^"^  s^^®- 
America.  We  have  had  this  ideal  of  actually 
evangelizing  our  fields  presented  to  us.  We  have 
enthroned  it,  by  General  Assembly  resolution  and 
endorsement,  among  the  purposes  of  our  Church. 
We  have  declared  to  the  world  that  this  was  our 
aim,  and  we  have  not  seriously  undertaken  it.  If 
we  would  save  ourselves  from  double  dealing 
with  God,  if  we  would  safeguard  our  sensitive- 
ness to  the  leading  of  the  Spirit,  if  we  would  pre- 
vent the  hardening  of  our  spiritual  nature,  we 
must  no  longer  talk  nor  resolve,  we  must  pro- 
ceed to  do  what  is  to  be  done. 

To  do  this,  will  require  that  every  minister  and  fj^^^  ^i^*"*- 
pastor  give  this  enterprise  his  best  thought.  He 
will  need  first  to  accept  the  ideal  of  actually  evan- 
gelizing our  mission  fields.  H)e  will  then  need  to 
discover  what  the  realization  of  that  ideal  will 
require  of  him  and  of  his  congregation.  And 
then  he  must  proceed  to  create  in  his  congrega- 
tion  those    conditions,    which,   if   duplicated    in 


224        GOD  S  PLAN  FOR  WORLD  REDEMPTION. 


Every  Chris- 
tian. 


Another 
Vision. 


every  congregation  in  our  denomination,  would 
mean  the  full  realization  of  the  ideal. 

Every  individual  Christian  in  his  own  per- 
sonal life  will  also  be  called  upon  to  accept  the 
ideal.  He  will  need  to  ask  in  his  prayer  life,  in 
his  life  of  stewardship,  in  his  home  life,  what  de- 
mands this  will  make  of  him.  And  then,  he,  too, 
must  seek  to  establish  in  his  life  those  condi- 
tions which,  if  reproduced  in  other  lives  of  our 
Church,  will  mean  the  full  realization  of  this 
ideal  of  the  evangelization  of  our  mission  fields. 

The  Church  stands  at  a  "decisive  hour."  We 
tremble  to  think  how  meaningless,  how  inglori- 
ous, the  future  may  be,  unless  there  shall  be 
lifted  ideals  worthy  of  the  strength  we  now  pos- 
sess and  the  opportunity  now  set  before  us. 

But  there  rises  another  vision.  It  is  the  vis- 
ion of  a  Church,  "having  the  glory  of  God"  rest- 
ing upon  it,  surrendering  the  powers  of  its  or- 
ganic life,  as  individuals  in  ages  gone  by  have 
surrendered  the  powers  of  their  individual  lives, 
fully  to  the  realization  of  God's  will  upon  earth, 
its  corporate  life  made  subservient  to  this  one 
aim  and  dominated  by  this  one  ambition,  "To 
win  for  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  the  reward  of 
His  sufferings."  I  see  this  Church,  baptized  with 
a  new  power, — the  Power  of  God  for  the  Work 
of  God.  I  see  a  new  beauty  transforming  its 
character,  a  new  grace  adorning  its  brow,  as  it 


THE   CHURCH    AND   GOD's   PLAN.  225 

enters  into  a  fellowship  with  its  Lord,  deeper 
than  has  yet  been  claimed  by  any  Church  upon 
earth.  I  see  this  Church  preparing,  for  the 
Marriage  Supper  of  the  Lamb,  the  expressions 
of  its  love  for  its  Lord:  three  sections  of  the 
world,  evangelized  by  its  missionary  labors  and 
Christianized  by  the  accompanying  power  of  its 
Lord.  I  see  this  Church  fully  surrendered  to  its 
Lord,  entirely  responsive  to  His  will,  absolutely 
obedient  to  His  bidding,  used  of  God  for  spir- 
itual leadership  in  the  world.  And,  across  the 
longer  or  shorter  stretches  of  Time,  stands  the 
Son  of  God,  seeing  of  the  travail  of  His  soul  and 
satisfied !  It  is  ours  to  make  this  vision  true  in 
the  life  of  our  Church. 


Princeton  Theologtcal  Semmary-Speer  Library 


1   1012  01093  8456 


Date  Due 

r£7.  .■ 

FE5       ; 

MY  13 -53 

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»> 

1 

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, 

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